The William Darcy Diaries
by AndreaInspired
Summary: Now that the beloved web series the Lizzie Bennet Diaries is over, re-experience the magic of the story through the omniscient perspective following everyone's favorite socially awkward, bow-tie and suspenders wearing newsie robot. New chapter every Monday/Thursday! Reviews appreciated!
1. Netherfield

"Oh man, you guys are going to love it! High ceiling entertainment room, Sauna sized master bathroom, Five guest rooms- two with walk in closets, Caroline-large marble outdoor patio, and it's in the nicest neighborhood! I've only met a few people so far but I already feel so welcome." Bing Lee sat in the backseat of the black town car, his eyes darting from the passing picket fenced houses to his two travel companions seated across from him. His face beamed with a blithely, anxious smile on his handsome jaw. Adjacent to him sat a rather surly looking young man with olive skin and dark features, hands and eyes glued to an expensive cellphone in his lap. Unlike the casual dress of Bing who wore a salmon colored plaid buttoned shirt, sleeves rolled up and blue jeans, his companion sported a white dress shirt, black trousers, suspenders, thin red tie and a serious expression.

"I'm sure it's perfectly suitable." Was his polite response although he remained fixed on his phone.

"Oh Darcy, you always did have a way with words." Teased the third passenger from beside him, a beautiful woman with a sheet of rave-black hair, sporting a navy V-neck tank top, dark skinny jeans and a smirk. She pushed her dainty manicured hand through her long locks, squinted her pretty almond-shaped eyes, furrowed perfectly plucked eyebrows and pouted. "Perfectly suitable." She mocked Darcy's deep voice, her strange expression capturing the young man's unpleasant facial composure. Bing chuckled at this, which stirred Darcy from his technology to glance to her, frown deepening.

"My sis has got you pegged!" Bing said with a good-humored laugh.

"Very funny, Caroline." Darcy said turning back to the cell in his lap, but his tone suggested he thought otherwise. His reaction stirred another laugh from the siblings.

"Oh relax, Darcy!" Caroline patted flirtatiously on the man's right knee then flipped her sleek river of hair. "You know I only jest with the highest of regard." Darcy blinked a few times irritably then opened his mouth but before he could retort Bing cut across the tension with his eager voice.

"Here we are! Rodolfo, please pull up next to the curb!" As directed the car slowed to a stop in front of a large estate surrounded by a regal white gate, complete with arches a lush green lawn, Greek style marble columns and a top balcony draped with baskets of brightly colored flowers. "Isn't it great?" Bing's voice was light with excitement and he didn't even wait for a response from his comrades before emerging to drink in the view of his new home.

"A bit over the top." Darcy muttered with his brash honesty, eyes on the grandiose property.

"I'll say," Caroline agreed from behind him and the two made their way out of the car.

"Isn't it a bit, um, spacious for you dear brother?" Caroline called out to Bing who stood at the curb with his hands on his hips and grin on his face. She approached him, pulling designer sunglasses out of her channel handbag and placed them on her eyes, partially to stop squinting in the sun's glare and partially to hide the judgment in her gaze. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable in a high-rise bachelor's loft in the city?"

"No way!" Was Bing's simple response, putting an arm around her shoulder while the other hand gestured to the mansion. "This is way better! Think of all the people I can host with this much room! More space means more guests." Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled at her brother.

"Typical Bing, always thinking of other people first."

"What's the address of this estate?" Darcy asked from beside the pair "So I can tell my assistant where to bring my things."

"Netherfield park." Bing removed his arm from Caroline and rubbed the back of his as he contemplated the land. "It apparently used to be a community park but the rec department lost funding so the government sold it to some wealthy owner of a successful cement company. He plowed over it, built this house and lived comfortably with his family for about a lifetime. He's retired now and the kids all grew up and moved out so he sold the place to finish off the years with his wife in Palm Beach."

"Ah Florida, nature's graveyard." Caroline said wistfully.

"Caroline…" Darcy chided, setting his deep eyes on her. She batted her lashes at him coyly and smirked. Although the two often had agreeable opinions, her lack of tact bothered Darcy. She did not mind his occasional scolding for she interpreted it playfully as opposed to irritation. Bing ignored the pair, grin still present on his features as he briskly began walking up the long rustic stone pathway to the house.

"What are you doing?" Caroline called after him.

"What does it look like?" Bing laughed, turning around yet continuing to walk backwards toward the estate. "I'm going to check out my new house! C'mon!" He turned back around and began jogging ahead.

"He does know we have a car with a driver…" Caroline said with a sigh but Darcy was already walking away, following Bing. She shifted weight on her heels, pouting for a moment before begrudgingly turning to the car. "Rodolfo, you're dismissed." She said with a slight bite before following the boys up the path.

"So Darcy, how long will you be joining my brother and I at Netherfield?" She inquired as she caught up to him, her heels clipping against the stone.

"I'm not sure," He confessed with a measured voice, hands in his trousers.

"Well, seeing as you own Pemberley you can really work from anywhere with a wifi connection, right? No boss to answer to in the office and all."

"I suppose." Was his curt response. They walked for a bit more before he spoke again. "I suppose I'll stay as long as it takes for Bing to get settled. Although, I'll need to fly out for the occasional meeting."

"Oh of course! Caroline's tone was flirtatious. "You are a very busy man after all." Darcy easily ignored her teasing and changed the subject.

"How about you? How long do you plan to stay with your brother?" She let out a breath, eyes finding where her brother now stood a bit in the distance at the entrance of the mansion, gesturing for them to join him as he held open the door.

"Oh, I don't know. You know Bing. He so easily makes friends yet whines when we're not around to hang out with him, even as he's surrounded by crowds of people who adore him. Like a puppy at the park. "

"He likes being around people he's close with. We both can relate to that." Darcy said simply causing Caroline to roll her eyes and smile, nudging him playfully.

"Of course. That's why we're here, isn't it?" Caroline glanced back at the shrinking neighborhood behind them, eyes narrowing skeptically. "Although I'm not sure why we're _here_. His medical school has a well-established branch in Los Angeles which I think is much more 'perfectly suitable' for people like us. More sunshine and beaches, less soccer moms and bake sales."

"Your brother wanted an authentic small town experience. It's his home and school after all, so his choice. Besides," Darcy glanced at her, his lips twitching up in a slight smile. "I detest the beach."

Caroline laughed. "Oh fine. L.A.s perfectly suitable for _me. _You'd be happy holed up in Pemberley's office typing away at your laptop and shooing people away."

"Yet here we are." Darcy replied, this time breaking out in a genuine smile as they headed up the estate's front steps.

"You guys sure like to take your time!" Bing said as they approached but his voice was pleased, showing no sign of annoyance at having to wait. "Come in! Welcome to your new home!"

"Ah yes, here we are." Caroline agreed and together the three of them stepped into their life at Netherfield.


	2. The Wedding

"I love weddings!" Bing Lee declared, straightening the grey vest of his suit and adjusting his tie in the gold framed foyer mirror. "Isn't this great? A chance for us to meet the whole neighborhood in one day! It was great of Stu to invite us, seems like ages since our Harvard days."

"Y-yes." Darcy hesitantly agreed from beside him, fixing his cufflinks then tugging nervously at his blue bow tie. He pushed his chin to his neck as he surveyed his appearance, lips twitching as he contemplated if his tweed paperboy cap worked with his attire. Bing clasped a hand on his friend's shoulder, his grin widening.

"Don't be nervous, man! It's going to be great. Look, I know you don't like being around too many people you don't know, but trust me, the people in this town are the nicest! Just the other day—"

"Well boys," Caroline announced her presence from the spiral staircase, one hand on the railing while she beamed with confidence. "How many hometown hearts do you think I'm going to break today?"

The boys glance up at her and both pairs of eyes widened slightly, Bing's face falling. Caroline gathered her hair to one shoulder and struck a pose. She was dressed in a glittering gold and silver cocktail dress, her bronze skin glowing.

"You know we're going to a day wedding Caroline, not an evening gala." Darcy said flatly. "You're not supposed to out-dress the bride."

"I'll take that as a compliment, William Darcy!" Caroline grinned cheekily as she began stepping down to meet them in the foyer.

"Darcy's right, sis." Bing scratched his cheek, considering her. "You should dress a little more, uh, appropriately for the occasion-"

"What?" Caroline interrupted, affronted. She crossed her arms near the bottom steps, tapped her heel irritably and rolled her eyes upward. "This dress is fabulous! If this was an L.A wedding, this would be more than appropriate."

"Yes, but we're not in L.A." Darcy reminded her, scoffing with a slight smirk.

"You have a ton of nice dresses." Bing assured her "maybe just choose one that's a little more modest?"

"_Oooh!_" Caroline fumed. She uncrossed her arms and balled her hands into fists at her sides. "Fine! I'll change into something little Suzie Small-town would wear to church!" She whipped her hair around and stormed up the stairs. "But now I have to change my make up!" She called down angrily. "And my accessories!"

"Oh jeez…" Bing groaned, pulling a hand down his face. "I hope she doesn't take too long to spite us. I would hate to show up late for the wedding…I want us to make a good impression…"

"Don't worry," It was Darcy's turn to calm his friend's nerves, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to charm the whole neighborhood. You tend to thrive in these…er…social situations."

"And hey man, you will too!" Bing put his arm around Darcy's shoulder and the two turned to look at their conjoined reflection in the mirror. "Just uh, pretend you're in a board room or something. You know, somewhere you're confident and comfortable talking to people."

"Uh yes…" Darcy shook himself free of his friend to readjust his bow tie. He bore into his dark eye's reflection, brow knitting together with discomfort. "I'll um…try that."

* * *

"What a, uh…quaint affair" Caroline observed, dressed appropriately in a knee-length floral blue dress. The trio stood outside the white rental reception tent watching as small children in pastel attire giggled and ducked beneath fold out tables draped in thick white linen. Potted herb plants and sunflowers dotted each table as centerpieces doubling as party favors. There were no visible name cards or arrangements made to assign guests, rather, people seemed to cluster at random to the seats of their choosing. A vast majority of the guests chatted animatedly in line at the far side of the tent for the self-serving buffet while the rest surrounded the bride and groom to wish them happiness and a lifelong marriage.

"We should go congratulate the couple," Bing said, stepping forth on the grass.

"You go ahead," Caroline replied, barring her teeth in a pretty smile. "I'd like to wait for the crowd to die down." She fanned herself with her white designer clutch. "You know, give them room to breathe, take it all in." Bing shrugged and smiled, giving a half-wave parting solute as he made his way over to the newlyweds.

"I wonder when the greased up pig hunt will be…" Caroline mused aloud, glancing sideways at Darcy with a wry smile. "Probably after the apple bobbing for wedding favors, don't you think?"

"Caroline…" Darcy warned, his voice low with impatience. He glanced around nervously to make sure no one had heard.

"Oh come on, Darcy! Let me have my fun." She bit her lip to suppress a laugh as a small boy crawled out from underneath a fold out chair, face covered in mud. Darcy ignored her and made his way to a make shift tent wall, pulling out his phone as he did. She followed after him, stumbling a bit as her heels caught in the grass flooring.

"Had I known this was going to be a backyard barbeque I wouldn't have worn my Jimmy Choos" Caroline complained. "Ugh, _ruined_." She muttered under her breath. Darcy, whose attention was captured by his device continued to ignore her.

"You're not going to stand here and fake text all night, are you?" Caroline whined with an agitated laugh.

"I have to make a few business arrangements." He responded evenly, not even so much as glancing toward her. She sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry I made fun of the reception and our new, uh, neighbors. I know how twitchy you get at these events." Darcy flicked his eyes toward her as she continued. "I'm sure budget wedding planning is a true art form. I bet TLC even has a show about it. Do you forgive me yet, or should I keep going?" Darcy let out a breath that sounded a bit like a laugh, which satisfied Caroline. "Good! I'm famished; all I've had today was an organic herbal tea and a low-fat scone. What do you think my chances are that the buffet has an all-natural ingredient Greek salad?"

"Not good." Was Darcy's simple reply.

"Figures." Her voice was airy. "Wish me luck"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine with luck Caroline."

She smiled at him and did a curtsy to excuse herself which executed awkwardly do to the uneven lawn's flooring. Only a moment after she departed did Bing appear at Darcy's side.

"Darcy! Man, oh man…!" Bing was out of breath from jogging over, brimming with excitement. "I just laid eyes on the most beautiful woman; I swear she must be an angel. She literally stole my breath! Cheesy, I know, but…_wow_." Darcy smiled slightly, his brow knitting at his friend's love-struck expression.

"May I inquire who she is?"

"Her," Bing obliged eagerly, pointing across the wood panel dance floor to a young woman chatting with the bride. She was slender, with a classically pretty face framed with auburn locks, large wishful blue eyes and a sweet, timid smile. She wore a modest tan shirt dress with lips painted red to match a beaded necklace on her breast. One hand was on the bride's arm, the other hand dabbing a tissue at her eyes despite her smiles. Must be a dear friend of the couple, Darcy thought to himself, for no ordinary guest who exhibit such tearful joy for a mere friendly neighbor's nuptials.

"I have to introduce myself. Come with me? And where's Caroline?"

Darcy lifted his chin toward the buffet line where the bronze beauty stood, French nails tapping anxiously on the ceramic plate in her hands. "She's seeking out an organic Greek cuisine as we speak."

"That will have to wait!" Bing's eyes ablaze. He was on a mission. "C'mon!" Together the pair made their way past wedding guests, weaving around tables to where Caroline stood.

"Sis!" Bing called but before he could state his plan an ear-splitting screech of a microphone caused them all to cringe and groan. The energetic voice of the hired DJ boomed over the noise of the crowd

"Hello, Hello! Let's all give a hearty round of applause to the new-lee-weh-UHds!" His mantra was greeting with catcalls, whistles, claps and shouts of glee from the guests.

"What are we at, a public school dance?" Caroline murmured but it went unheard due to the DJ's amplified voice.

"Now, don't worry folks we are going to get this party started in a few minutes or so, but first grab yourself a plate of the delicious spread thanks to the Deed's brother's catering! And remember that for all your catering needs, call the brother Deeds downtown at 71 Main Stah-reet!"

"I wonder if they got a discount for allowing advertisements to be announced during the reception. Very economical. I bet that's a new one for TLC!" Darcy and Caroline caught eyes as she joked.

"Caroline, you have to come with me as I introduce myself to this…this goddess." Bing put his arm around his sister and directed her gaze to where the girl of his sudden affections stood, now chatting with what appeared to be the mother of the bride.

Caroline raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips and gave the woman the once over before nodding her head, impressed. "Wow, Bing. You actually found a girl here with a bit of class." Bing, who was too captivated by his mystery girl, did not notice the double-edged compliment. The three watched as the auburn haired young lady gave a parting smile to the bride's mother before excusing herself to sit at an already crowded table near the stand of brightly wrapped wedding presents.

"I suppose we'll have to wait to meet her…" Bing sighed gloomily. "I wouldn't want to be rude and interrupt her supper."

"Well that's settled then," Caroline replied. "We'll introduce ourselves after we um…" She pinched a serving fork through an aluminum tin of lasagna then shuttered, moving over to a large salad bowl to fill her plate with three cherry tomatoes and a few withered pieces of spinach. She finished her sentence with a weak voice, her expression comparable to someone who had just swallowed something unpleasant. "…after we eat."

_Be sure to follow the story to get alerted for next Thursday's update, Chapter 3: The Lovely Jane Bennet. As always, comments and reviews appreciated!_


	3. The Lovely Jane Bennet

After the majority of guests had finished their meals, the Lee siblings and Darcy stood to excuse themselves from the table of distant relatives and elderly neighbors.

"What a…eclectic bunch." Darcy murmured which caused Caroline to snicker from beside him. The married couple's first dance was ending, and all eyes of the guests were on the couple beside Bing Lee. He set his gaze on the fashionable beauty across the dance floor; ready to b-line for her once the slow rendition of "The way you look tonight" finished playing out of the Dj's stereo. The tune subsided followed by claps and tinkling of champagne flutes which caused the groom to dip his bride in a passionate and flashy kiss.

"Alright, this is it!" Bing hit Darcy's chest with anticipation. "I'm going to go talk to her." Before he could get the chance to make a step towards her the music shifted to an upbeat dance tune and a freckled man near the woman pulled her by the hand to the dance floor, causing her to laugh and swing about.

"Rough break, big brother." Caroline said sympathetically but before she could say anything else an elderly man from their table grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the dance floor as well. She pulled face toward the boys when her partner wasn't looking, silently mouthing help me. This brightened Bing's spirits for a moment and he turned to Darcy.

"It's okay, I'll just talk to her after this dance." However after that song, another gentleman asked for her hand in the next dance, and another after that. Bing groaned from his spot on the sidelines, while Darcy narrowed his eyes skeptically at the popular young lady.

"Your mysterious woman seems to be the most desired dance partner."

"This is awful! How do I know one of these guys hasn't stolen her heart, as she has stolen mine?"

"Oh please, spare us the dramatics." Caroline appeared between them, out of breath from dancing. After she had done her service to dance with the old man, a younger partner had taken his place and kept Caroline from returning. She had finally excused herself and took both Bing and Darcy by the arms, pulling them toward the refreshments. She grabbed a champagne flute and knocked it back, finishing it in one swig. "What?" She glared at the boys as she placed her empty glass on the table. "I need _something_ to get me through this affair. Here." She handed her brother two flutes "It's no _Roederer Cristal_**, **but it will have to do."As he accepted the glasses, Caroline lifted her head to the left so his eyes would follow.

Fanning herself with a hand and laughing with a slightly younger red-haired girl stood the woman of Bing's distant affections. His face bloomed into a smile and he walked toward her instantly, Darcy and Caroline remaining by the refreshments.

"You must be parched," was Bing's opening line, handing her the sparkling drink. "After all that dancing."

"Oh!" She took it gratefully, her own face beaming to match Bing's smile. "I am! Thank you so much!"

"And _I_ am Lydia!" The shorter redhead declared, flouncing the tulle of her purple dress then reaching out to grab the other flute from Bing's hands.

"Oh, yes of course, take it!" Bing said slightly surprised but not missing a beat.

"Lydia, you can't just do that!" The auburn haired beauty's face had fallen as she whispered a scold to the younger girl.

"Wha-_uht,_ he brought it for us!"

"What if dad sees, you know you're underage—"

"Oh c'mon, it's a party!"

"Lydia—"

"Besides, it would be rude not to accept a drink from this _handsome gentleman. _What did you say your name was?" The two girls' eyes fell on Bing who had been watching the exchange with raised brows but as his gaze caught the elder of the two, he smiled and clasped her hand in his own.

"Bing Lee, I just moved to the neighborhood with my sister Caroline—"He turned his head to the right to where she stood and nodded as a cue for her to join. "And friend William Darcy." His two companions made their way over to greet the two girls.

"It's so good to meet you. I'm Jane Bennet." Jane had a very soothing, genuine voice and Bing was sorry to have her release his hand to put it on the younger girl's shoulder. "And this is my baby sister Lydia." Lydia nudged her, frowning with embarrassment.

"Hey! I'm not a kid, stop calling me your baby sister. I'll be 21, in like, December!" She clarified proudly, taking a sip of her champagne.

"Here, Bing, have a drink." Caroline appeared, handing him a flute since his had been confiscated by the younger Bennet sibling.

"Thank you, Caroline! Meet Lydia," The bubbly redhead waved. "And her sister, Jane." His voice softened as he said her name, which caused Jane to blush. She removed her hand from Lydia's shoulder to shake Caroline's.

"It's so good to meet you." She said warmly and Caroline smiled.

"And you."

"Did you catch all that Darcy?" Bing said to Darcy, who stood rather stoically next to the Lee siblings.

"Uh...yes." Was his answer, his lips twitching up as he nodded in greeting to the two, yet his face quickly returned to its rather serious expression. Lydia raised her brows at him and pursed her lips, then glanced at Jane whose eyes sparkled at Bing. She let out a short laugh before breaking away.

"Well! It's been totes fun and all but I need to go force our weirdo cousin Mary to dance with someone. Can you believe she's hiding by the wedding presents, reading? Lammmeeee!" as she emphasized the last word, she wiped around and departed from the group. The music on the dance floor changed to a slow tune.

"Would you care to dance?" Bing asked, eyes for only Jane.

"I would love to!" Her smile was infectious, but she, unlike Bing had not forgotten that Caroline and Darcy were beside them. "I hope I get to chat with you all some more later on," she smiled and nodded toward the two before Bing swept her off to the dance floor.

"What do you think?" Caroline asked, watching her brother lead Jane away.

"She seems lovely." Although Darcy's voice was void of skepticism, Caroline knew that in his mind he had emphasized the word _seems_. She took a sip of her drink and nodded.

"I agree. But I think we'll need to…investigate her character a bit more to see if she is suited for my brother."

"Oh, I'm sure you will Caroline." Darcy replied, eyes shifting from the pair on the dance floor to the bride and groom on the far end of the tent. "If you'll excuse me, I think it's time I congratulate the newlyweds."

_Be sure to follow the story to get alerted for next Monday's update, Chapter 4: The Middle Bennet Daughter. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans!_


	4. The Middle Bennet Daughter

"Congratulations Stuart," Darcy said formally, giving the groom a firm handshake.

"Darcy! How many times do I have to tell you, please call me Stu!" The groom was grinning widely, his thick framed glasses falling down the bridge of his nose. He pushed them up and nudged his blonde-haired bride whose cheeks were rosy from all the festivities and sparkling wine. "Always so serious with this one!" He explained with a good humored chuckle and she giggled in response.

"I hear you and that friendly man Bing Lee all went to Harvard with my Stuie. Harvard!" She turned to her new husband as she said the word. "I still can't believe you used that scholarship to get yourself a fancy degree _just_ to become a pro-bono lawyer." Her hands reached out and lovingly played with the flower on his lapel. "But I guess I don't mind, it is how we met after all…" Stu pecked her on the lips and the two giggled, gazing at each other. Darcy coughed awkwardly from beside them.

"Well, I wish you two all the—"

"Why aren't you dancing, Mr. Darcy?" The bride demanded, her voice a little too loudly than appropriate

"Oh Ellen," Stu shook his head and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I've been to a few events with Darcy during our Harvard years. Trust me, this guy won't dance unless someone forces him too."

"Oh, I'm sure that could be arranged!" Her thick petite body shook with a laugh, the sound honky and boisterous. The color drained from Darcy's face in discomfort as she reached out and grabbed onto his arm. She leaned in as if to whisper yet her voice carried as a hushed shout. "You best avoid Mrs. Bennet, though! If she gets her hands on a handsome man like you, she'll be dragging you off to the chapel for another wedding to one of her daughters!" She laughed again, pulling Darcy by the arm so he faced the reception. "It seems as if she's already set her sights on your friend Mr. Lee for her eldest!" On the other side of the tent Bing and Jane stood side by side, chatting with a woman who appeared to be in her early forties in a patterned green ankle-length dress and cream beaded shawl. She had a mirthful twinkle in her eyes, a hand on each arm of the young couple, and a smile that stretched high into her cheek bones.

Darcy watched curiously as a young woman in a teal dress interrupted the three, exasperation overcoming the features of her pretty face. A strand of brunette hair had fallen loose of her simple, yet elegant bun and framed the curve of her cheek. Her smile was tight, patience clearly waning thin. She linked her arms through the older woman's, pulling her away from Jane and Bing for a turnabout the reception tent.

"Who's that?" Darcy found himself asking, dark brow knitted as he witnessed the peculiar exchange.

"Oh, that's Lizzie, the middle Bennet daughter." Ellen watched his face, her own eyes brightening as she released him to glance at her husband. "You know, she's quite the smart cookie studying to get her Masters at the university. Drives their mother bonkers, that her children decided to go to college rather than settle down and start a family. Or at the very least secure a sweetheart at school! But she's old fashion that way, being from the south and all."

"I see." Was Darcy's reply, expression unreadable. He had realized that Ellen was a woman of many words and showing any interest in a subject may condemn him to an imprisonment of pointless prattle. He tipped his hat, lips turning up slightly in a mildly strained smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have to make a call to one of my investors. I wish you two all the happiness in your nuptials."

Darcy began walking toward where Bing and Jane stood resting, Caroline having taken the spot Mrs. Bennet previously occupied. Before he was near enough to announce his presence, he watched as Jane excused herself, being pulled by the elbow in the wake of the youngest Bennet daughter who was squealing "Ohmygod, I love this song! Jane hurry, c'mon I want to dance!" The two girls headed off to the dance floor, twirling and singing along to "We are family" blaring out of the rental stereo.

"Jane is so sweet." Caroline admitted generously as Darcy arrived, her lips pursed and brow upturned directed at the dance floor as if she was watching an adorable child spinning around.

"I'm so glad you like her," Bing's eyes were bright.

"She offered to take me shopping, says she knows of some cute boutiques near town."

"Surprising," Darcy spoke up, a little on edge thanks to his overwhelming encounter with the bride. "And here I thought no one in this town could tell the difference between a Barney's and a JcPenny." Caroline, who had been taking a sip from her glass chortled, breaking out into a laugh. She pushed lightly against his shoulder.

"Oh William, you're terrible!"

"Sorry, what was that?" Bing questioned, unaware of what had transpired. He had been distracted, taken by his new favorite pastime of starring devotedly across the room at the eldest Bennet daughter. The song had ended and she was throwing her head back in a laugh at the edge of the dance floor surrounded by the other Bennet daughters and a dark-haired girl with a round face and thin eyes. While Bing watched Jane chat he noted the way her cheeks flushed with her smiles, how her eyes squinted as she laughed, every delicate curve of her lips.

"Oh nothing!" Caroline waved her hand through the air, dismissing Darcy's remark. "Well, besides how I was saying Jane offered to take me shopping."

"That's great!" Bing's enthusiasm was starting to wear a little thin on Darcy, and he tuned out of the conversation to glance back at the eldest Miss Bennet. She was indeed a very pretty girl, thin and willowy like a flower. Her smiles seemed pure but she smiled too often and easily for him to be completely sure that they were all genuine. He felt a hand clasp on his shoulder, a parting gesture from Bing who immediately after departing the conversation approached Jane for yet another dance. Darcy watched as she accepted with one of her many smiles. It was one of the very same, Darcy swore, she had used on the two men whom had asked for her hand previously. While Bing led her to the dance floor, Darcy found his gaze remaining where she had once stood, among the other girls. This time he watched as the middle Bennet daughter put her knuckle to her nose in a laugh, a hand on the dark haired woman's shoulder in front of her so as to hold composure. _This family is so expressive_ He mused from his point in the distance.

"Well _hello there_!" Darcy turned to find himself face to face with the woman in the green patterned dress and beaded shawl. "I'm Mrs. Bennet, of the Bennet family!" She outstretched a hand which Darcy shook briefly, taken aback.

"William Darcy."

"William Daw-cy! You're the CEO of that entertainment empire, aren't you!" Her voice was slightly shrill and bounced up and down in tone as if it was sailing through rolling hills. Standing in close vicinity of her, Darcy noticed that she had a silver streak of hair through her auburn locks but besides that she had aged quite gracefully. "Now, I couldn't help but notice your eyes were directed over toward my three_ beautiful_ daughters!"

Darcy blinked down at her a few times, completely fazed. Could all that Ellen said about this woman be true?

"Now, as you can see my eldest, Jane—stunning girl, such a keen eye for style that one—is already taken with your friend there Mr. Bing Lee. Don't they just look perfect together? Like butter on a biscuit those two!" Mrs. Bennet, eyes gazing happily at the dancing couple, clapped her hands together with delight. She turned back to Darcy, smile still stretched to her cheeks and patted his shoulder. Darcy felt himself tense up again, uncomfortable with the small town sensibility of people constantly reaching out to touch him.

"Now, don't you worry Mr. Daw-cy! My middle daughter Lizzie a pretty one too, and _available_ unlike my Jane!" She gave an airy laugh. "And by the looks of you, she's probably only a year or two younger!" Mrs. Bennet broke away, eyes darting around the reception tent. "Now, where did that girl go…" Darcy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket while Mrs. Bennet turned to shout across toward the tent wall where the middle Bennet daughter now stood. "Lizzie! _Lizzie_!"

"If you'll excuse me…"Darcy muttered, pulling out his cell phone to take the call. As he walked away he could faintly hear Mrs. Bennet called after him "_But wait!" _which he promptly ignored, for an investor on the line was in a panic and shouting into the receiver.

The call took a good twenty five minutes, forcing Darcy to pace around the outside of the tent while using all his efforts to keep his voice calm, even and reassuring. The company was launching a new prototype for an application soon and one of his strongest competitors announced that they, too, were unveiling an exciting endeavor around the release date. With high stress and mentally exhausted Darcy returned to the reception with his good manners nearly hitting his quota for the day. When he entered the tent he absentmindedly approached the dance floor, standing a little over its edge with eyes narrowed in confusion at the spectacle at hand. A good majority of the men stood in a cluster at the center, including Bing, while the groom knelt in front of the bride propped up on one of the fold out chairs, her heel resting on his shoulder. A brassy tune was playing out of the Dj's stereo, a red spot line on the married couple while the groom slowly pulled a lace blue garter down the bride's thigh, calve, ankle, over the heel and flick it through the air. It flew, as if in slow motion, over the heads of the clustered bachelors and hit its mark—the center of William Darcy's chest.

_Be sure to follow the story to get alerted for next Thursday's update, Chapter 5: The Most Awkward Dance Ever. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans!_


	5. The Most Awkward Dance Ever

Darcy stared down at the balled up fabric in his hands, unsure what it all meant. He glance up and his eyes widened slightly as he realized nearly the entire crowd of wedding guests were staring at him, some catcalling or whistling, others shouting and clapping. Bing Lee came upon him with a huge grin, grabbed his hand and clapped him on the back.

"Hey, you caught the garter! That's great!" His voice was jubilant. Darcy blinked back down at the lacey blue piece, the cogs in his mind turning yet not coming to a cohesive conclusion. Before he could completely process the situation, he felt Bing push lightly against his shoulder, causing him to stumble forth onto the dance floor. "You're up!" He glanced around, eyes catching on a bouquet of sunflowers ahead of him and the realization clicked. Bouquet. Garter. Dancefloor. Spotlight. He had stumbled, unknowingly into a long-standing small town wedding tradition of the dance between whom ever had caught the bouquet and whom ever had caught the garter. As he looked around at the eager smiles of the crowd through the burn of a spotlight, he felt the blood drain from his face and his chest tighten in a dizzying nausea.

His palms perspired with nerves and he wiped them along his chest, stepping forward, chin to his neck as his eyes finally landed on the young woman approaching. She smiled when they caught eyes, chin tipping up to look at his face as they met in the center of the dance floor.

"Hi. I'm Lizzie Bennet." She reached out cordially to shake his hand. Darcy stared dumbly at the gesture, heart palpitating in his anxiety, so aware of the eyes of the crowd around him. His own eyes darted around the mob of wedding guests and he felt like a helpless animal stuck in a steel jaw trap under the spotlight. He was comforted solely by the sight of Bing Lee, who nodded and smiled encouragingly. His friend's voice trickled through the white noise that had clogged his thoughts in the sudden panic.

"_Just pretend you're in a board room…You know, somewhere you're confident and comfortable talking to people."_

Darcy turned back to Lizzie's outstretched hand, suddenly aware what he was supposed to do. Her smile had faltered slightly at the delayed response. It fell even more so as he clasped her hand briefly, gave it a stiff shake then released only to wipe his hand on his pant leg.

"William Darcy." His voice came out an octave deeper than usual, so as to force it not to break due to his distress.

"Less talking, more dancing!" The call belonged to the dark-haired woman near the Bennet sisters, causing their heads to turn towards her. Both Darcy and Lizzie flushed, and she tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear with embarrassment.

"My friend Charlotte may have had one too many vodka tonics." She leaned in slightly in confession. "Weddings make us both a little on edge."

Darcy's eyes shifted back to see this Charlotte girl had a hand on the youngest Bennet daughter's shoulder and the two were laughing loudly at some private joke. Lizzie let out a breath of exasperation and Darcy turned back to her.

"Ain't she a peach?"

Peach. At the word Darcy's expression hardened, vision blurring as the blood in his veins surged with irrefutable anger. Peach. Acidic bile pooled under his tongue as he thought of the word and what associated with it: That conniving, depraved, sleazy, wretched bastard. His inner vision reminded him of that sly upturned lip and slight bounce in George Wickham's step as he left Gigi crying, begging, pleading for him to come back. To say he was only joking, that he truly loved her, that no amount of money could buy him out. The crippling devastation that contemptible _ass_ caused his little sister as he calmly shut the apartment door behind him, collapsing Gigi onto the floor red faced from tears and heartbreak, punching every bit of Darcy she could reach. _Sorry peach._

The music stirred, a rendition of "Fools Rush In" by the droning, velvety voice of Elvis Presley singing through the stereo. Lizzie lifted her arms to take his hands but Darcy remembered himself, aware of the clammy, sweaty state of his palms. He reached past her hands to put this own around her waist, pulling her body towards him. He had, in his haste, overcompensated, and she was barely an inch from his chest. This was a far too intimate position for strangers, especially ones with such a disparity in height, making it impossible for each other to dance face to face. In response, Lizzie awkwardly backed up, creating a swaying motion as she stepped which Darcy reciprocated to represent a stiff, unpleasant version of dancing which was all he could muster at the moment.

After a bit, Lizzie's eyes traveled along the top of the wedding tent then fell on Darcy's gaze. Her lips curled slightly in a smile and she attempted to make conversation.

"So, Mr. Darcy is it? Do you like it here in town?"

"Not especially." Was his curt response, his mind still consumed with hatred towards George Wickham that he could not manage much else. They swayed for a bit more before she tried again.

"Do you like dancing?"

"Not if I can help it." His tone was short, impatient even and only when he saw Lizzie's face fall, eyes cast down in resigned silence did he feel his anger dissipate. Suddenly he felt quite ashamed of his behavior, watching the way she bit her lower lip in defeat. It was not this girl's fault that she unknowingly reminded him of the person he most despised with the one word that triggered these ill feelings. A few times during their dance he opened his mouth to apologize for being so abrupt with her, but every time the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them down. Again, he felt helpless as he watched her avoid his eyes, her gaze directed solemnly at the crowd. She really was quite pretty, he realized, admiring how the light graced the profile of her fair skin and sparkled in the steel-blue pigment of her eyes. He noted that her hair was not solely brunette but a warm chest-nut hue, and as they swayed the strand she had placed behind her ear fell once again. Darcy suppressed the urge to adjust it for her. The swell of the music was dying down and he could feel her breaking free of him, her eyes rapidly blinking as she stared down at one of his shirt buttons. At her movement, Darcy found his voice

"Thank you-!" He cleared his throat. "Thank you for the dance, Miss Lizzie Bennet." She glanced up at him; brow furrowed slightly, but gave him a small parting smile none-the-less before she left him. Other couples resumed places on the dance floor and Darcy walked off to join Bing and Caroline near the entrance in a side of the tent.

"Oh, Brava Darcy!" Caroline relished, clapping her hands together. "What do you call that dance, the back-brace ballet? The mummy mambo?"

Darcy ignored her and walked out of the tent for air.

"Hey, sis lay off." Bing advised, frowning at her. He followed after Darcy. "How was it?"

"You're the only one of us who can tolerate dancing. Why don't you go dance with your pretty, constantly smiling new friend rather than waste your time inquiring about my experience." Darcy muttered sulkily, completely drained as he stalked off toward the parking lot.

"It couldn't have been that bad." Bing quipped, matching his pace and putting a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder. "I mean, I watched it and well…" He chuckled and Darcy shrugged off his arm. "At least you had a nice dance partner!"

"Lizzie's decent enough. But why would I continue to dance with her…if no one else…was.." _was_ _watching _he silently finished in his mind _if no one else was watching I would have._ The realization of this sentiment caused his neck to tingle.

"Decent enough, that's kind of harsh…" Bing furrowed his brow at him as they walked.

"Decent enough dancer." He clarified, and then coughed awkwardly. "At least for the situation we were in." He pulled his pocket watch out if his trousers and let out a breath, stopping at the edge of the concrete lot. "I think I am going to head back to Netherfield."

"Already? They haven't even cut the cake yet!"

"You stay, I'm sure the eldest Miss Bennet would be taken aback if you left so, er, abruptly. I need to finish some work, anyway."

"Alright," Bing clasped his hand again and pat him on the shoulder. "Take care, I'll see you at the house."

"Thanks." Darcy tipped his hat and Bing gave him a parting, closed mouth smile before jogging back to the reception tent. In his utter exasperation Darcy ran a hand through his neat black hair before pulling his cell out to phone the town car. As he waited to make his escape from the wedding and his embarrassment, the pretty face of Elizabeth Bennet lingered eminently in his mind.

_Thank you to all my readers who have commented, favorited and followed this story so far—the response has been great! If you haven't already, be sure to follow the story to get alerted for next Monday's update, Chapter 6: Post Wedding Post. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans!_


	6. Post Wedding Post

"Roses are always a classic, but lack imagination." Bing said thoughtfully, staring at one of the many display tables of a local florist. "Daisies are cute, but too friendly. I need romantic, yet comforting. Poetic, yet inviting."

"Can't you just tell the florist to arrange something?" Darcy asked tiredly, attention strictly on the cell phone he was fiddling with. He returned it to his pocket and glanced up, scoffing as Bing shook his head.

"Darcy, these flowers need to express what I feel about Jane. They need thought, life- beauty! I only wish it was that simple." He glanced around; eyes drawn to a yellow flower in the distance. "Marigolds are nice."

"Why did you ask for my assist in this, again? Wouldn't Caroline be a bit more, er, knowledgeable for this task?" Darcy flicked the petal of a hanging petunia, watching it float to the shiny, leaf scattered floor.

"She's out shopping, and making arrangements for the dinner. You know my sis; she revels in being in charge of these things."

"Ah," Darcy agreed, tugging his tie slightly loose. A stout woman with a short curly bob of blonde hair in a floral muumuu shuffled over, pink horn-rimmed glasses resting on her beakish nose.

"Hello Dearie, did you decide on a base flower yet?" Bing smiled at her nimbly.

"Not yet, Judy. Thank you for being so patient."

"Oh honey, not to worry!" She simpered at him. "You're sending these to that pretty thing Jane Bennet, ain't that right?"

"Yes, I am," Bing scratched his neck sheepishly. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I have just the thing," She beckoned them to follow, directing them to table display of orchids. Bing instinctively walked up to a pale pink blossom, admiring the green slender stem and rippling petals.

"Graceful, elegant, delicate….just like Jane." His voice was soft, with a dreaming quality to it. "They're perfect."

Darcy's face remained impassive, blinking dully at his friend. "Bing, you do realize you only just met this girl…surely, your affections cannot be this passionate already?" Bing either did not hear or chose not to answer, nodding fervently at the florist as she began arranging a bouquet.

"Let's see now, baby's breath…with a hint of cymbidium to compliment the color of the petals." The result was a lovely compilation of greens, whites and pinks in an enchanting array. Bing practically sang the florist's praise.

"Judy, it's wonderful! You truly have the vision of an artist." The older woman chuckled at his flattery and patted affectionately on his hand.

"Oh dearie, aren't you the sweetest! That Jane Bennet is a lucky lady!" The two shared a good-natured laugh before she turned her spectacles on Darcy. "And how about you, sweetheart? Any lucky lady in your life? We have some beautiful hydrangeas over here…"

"I'm all set, thank you." Darcy nodded in a tight-lipped smile and Judy excused herself to get some ribbon for the bouquet.

"I love small towns," Bing said humbly, watching her shuffle away. "I love that everyone here knows each other's name, and when they ask 'How are you?' they actually want to know." Darcy remained quiet from beside him and Bing turned to him with a quizzical brow.

"What's on your mind?"

"I still think you've been acting a bit too impulsive lately." Darcy replied quietly. His voice was not monish but did reveal an inflection of concern. "Buying Netherfield on a whim, sending a girl you just met expensive bouquets, declaring you'd like to host an extravagant dinner for strangers—"

"Oh relax, Darcy! This dinner is a chance for us to get to know some of the people in the neighborhood better. The ones our age, at the very least." Bing tapped his chin in contemplation and Darcy let out a weary breath, pulling out his cell phone once more. "I'm inviting that nice couple from the wedding party—too bad the bride and groom are away on honeymoon—Jane of course, and her sister Lizzie-" at the mention of her name Darcy flicked his eyes back at Bing "—was so witty, I'm inviting her as well. And Miss Charlotte Lu was fun; she and Lizzie together were a riot. And Stu's cousin…" Darcy found himself tuning out, his mind's eye reminding him of the dance with the middle miss Bennet. She was witty? Bing had always been generous with compliments but praising wit was not a usual quality he admired. Darcy felt his interest piqued at this off-hand mention but he kept this curiosity to himself. He supposed that tonight he would be able to determine if she was, indeed, deserved of such an esteemed compliment. This alone made him less dreadful of the swiftly approaching night.

_If you haven't already, be sure to follow the story to get alerted for Thursday's update, Chapter 7: One eager and two reluctant hosts. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans! _


	7. One Eager & Two Reluctant Hosts

Netherfield was abuzz with house guests for Bing Lee's neighborhood dinner. Being the ever accommodating and attentive host, Bing himself made rounds through the dining room, entertainment lounge and foyer to greet and chat with the different couples and individuals who had so graciously decided to stop by his home for the casual banquet. He did this all the while checking in with Darcy who made little conversation in these 'contrived situations' as he would describe it and hid out near the dining room bar. As Bing ping ponged from room to room he was constantly looking over his shoulder toward the main door, awaiting the remainder of his guests and particularly eager for the arrival of a young lady who had received his special floral invitation.

Caroline, who wore the façade of benevolent host as well as her low-back Prada cocktail dress keep her smile as she addressed her brother in the wide door frame between the entry way and the living room. Her voice had a sing-songy quality to it as she spoke through the side of her teeth, face remaining perfectly pleasant.

"Bing, you're going to need a chiropractor if you keep jerking your head around like that!"

"What? Oh, sorry." He turned to her, adjusting his suit jacket nervously. "I'm waiting for Jane to get here."

"Oh really, I couldn't tell." Caroline slipped in an eye roll, taking a small sip from her wine glass. "Could you at least _try_ to hide that forlorn puppy dog expression? Your guests—" She smiled and gave a partial wave toward two woman who passed by on their way to the dining room "-might start getting the idea you staged this whole soirée for one particular visitor. Oh wait."

Bing shook his head dismissively at her words. "You know that's not true. Am I excited to see Jane again? Of course. But I am just as excited to get to know the rest of my guests equally well. Like Miss Lu!" He announced her name as Charlotte emerged from the left side of the foyer—the dinning room—a fresh drink in hand.

"Hello!" She responded pleasantly, her brow bouncing up in surprise. Bing approached her, Caroline following suit across the shiny hardwood floor. Charlotte subconsciously smoothed a hand over her indigo dress as they came forth.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Bing queried with genuine interest and Charlotte smiled and nodded in reply.

"Yes, I am! You have a lovely home."

"Thank you! Half the reason I bought it was so I could host get togethers like this. I'm so glad I am able to make use of all this space!"

"It is a lot of space!" Charlotte chimed agreeably, glancing around at the spiraling staircase, the sparkling chandelier, the regal mirror and the elegant table beneath it adorned with candles and a crystal bowl of potpourri. "I like what you've done with the entry way décor!"

"That would be thanks to Caroline's expertise," Bing patted his sister's shoulder and she bowed her head at the praise.

"Well, Bing here had final say on the lounge which is why we have a projector sized plasma and a leather sofa." Caroline said with a laugh. "Very bachelor pad-esque. I figured the foyer should have some sort of elegance to it since it is the first thing our house guests will see upon entry."

"Speaking of house guests, Charlotte, do you know when your friend Lizzie and her sister will be stopping by?" Bing's voice lifted slightly when he said the word sister and Caroline's eyes found the ceiling.

"I'm not positive, but I'm sure they will be here any minute." Charlotte's voice was reassuring and Bing smiled at her.

"Great!"

Caroline interrupted the exchange, already bored with the direction of conversation. "Well, if you two will excuse me I need to refresh my drink." She bowed her head in parting, only letting her smile slip once her head was turned away. She found Darcy adding ice to a matured scotch at the bar, his red pinstripe bowtie the same shade of scarlet as the regal dining room wallpaper.

"Can you believe the company we're forced to intermingle with in this town? I heard a man in the other room ask why the dip was black as he shoveled three spoonfuls of caviar onto his cracker."

"You're a long way from home, Dorothy." Darcy replied shifting his eyes to her as he took a sip of his scotch. She poured herself another glass of wine before muttering a response.

"Yeah, if only three clicks of my Dior stilettos would transport me back, you'd have received my postcard by now." She turned to survey the room while taking a sip of her drink. The two women who had passed beforehand were chatting animatedly on the other side of the dining table with an effeminate man. As they all shrieked with laughter little droplets of their drinks sprayed from their mouth and both Caroline and Darcy grimaced from their spot leaned against the mahogany alcohol cabinet.

"And this is the dining room!" Bing's voice rang as he entered, one hand placed on the small of Jane Bennet's back as he led her into the room, the other holding a plate wrapped in aluminum. Jane smiled shyly as she glanced around at the finery of the set and doily clothed table while Bing walked her toward the bar. "You remember my sister Caroline and friend Darcy from the wedding?"

"Of course! It's so good to see you both again." Jane lifted her hand in a small wave and Caroline put on a friendly expression in greeting, eyes quickly casting over the pale pink lacy shift dress Jane was wearing.

"Jane brought homemade snickerdoodles" Bing was grinning wider than he had all night. "Isn't that so thoughtful?" Jane's cheeks glowed pleasantly from beside him

"Very!" Caroline agreed with a few nods of the head whilst Darcy simply took another sip of his drink. He was very wary of Jane's sweet nature after observing her at the wedding, and especially after encountering her overwhelming mother who seemed to think her daughter and Bing were already an item.

"I'm going to put these out in the living room for guests to sample; I can't wait to try one!" Bing beamed at Jane before departing and Caroline made a _ch_ sound with her teeth then called after him.

"Don't spoil the supper, Bing! _Honestly," _She sighed, turning toward Darcy "I don't know why I put so much trouble into creating a five course menu with our chef if he's just going to act like this."

"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…!" Caroline and Darcy's gaze shifted to Jane who was frowning in distress, brow furrowed apologetically and hand covering her mouth. Caroline felt her own brow jump into her hairline and she smiled kindly at her guest.

"Oh no, Jane, don't apologize! My brother just gets carried away with these things, and I, being his sister like to give him a hard time. Isn't that right, Darcy?" She nudged him and he relented.

"Caroline likes to give everyone a hard time. It's one of her many accomplishments."

"Ignore him." Caroline didn't skip a beat. "So, Jane! That dress is so chic. Let me guess, Topshop?"

"Oh!" Jane glanced down at her attire, smoothing out the hem. "No, actually it's vintage. I thrifted it at a local consignment shop."

"How...resourceful! Vintage is always a classic choice."

"Thank you! And your dress is so fabulous as well," Jane admired the slinky black number Caroline wore. "I could never pull off something so glamorous."

"Aren't you sweet!" Caroline gleamed at the compliment and Darcy, from between them, knocked back the rest of his drink, disinterested of their trivial small talk. He turned around to pour another, doing the task at hand mechanically. His ears perked slightly as he heard Jane call out from behind him.

"Lizzie! Come over here, say hi to our other hosts!" Darcy turned around, lips to his glass as the middle Miss Bennet made her way toward them. Darcy swept his eyes over her light blue strapless dress, its metallic dot pattern shimmering in the chandelier light. She had a genial smile on her face as she greeted Caroline but as her gray-blue eyes met with Darcy's observant gaze it vanished. She quickly regained composure, lips upturned pleasantly as Jane ushered her into conversation.

"I was just telling Caroline how excited we are to have her, Bing and Darcy over for supper next week."

"Yes, did you catch that Darcy?" Caroline smirked at him from the side of her mouth. "We are to have the true Bennet treatment next Monday evening."

"No, I did not." Darcy replied flatly while the wheels in his mind were turning as he thought of his tight schedule. Was that the day he had a video conference with his investors from Beijing? He would have to check his schedule. Before he could mention this, suddenly Bing was beside them, a hand lightly touching each Bennet sister's shoulder.

"Are you all ready to eat? I just made a round and the guests in the other room are all generally hungry."

"Oh, yes!" Jane answered happily.

"Starved," Lizzie added good-naturedly.

"Well great! I'll announce it then." He smiled at the sisters then turned to the other hosts. "If that's alright with you two?"

"Of course." Was Caroline's reply and Darcy gave an assuring nod which satisfied Bing.

"Okay then, I'll be right back!"

"Here ladies, let me pour you both a glass of wine." Caroline readied them each a drink which they willfully accepted.

"Thank you Caroline!" Jane was gracious and Lizzie chuckled beside her.

"The great thing about neighborhood parties is no need for a designated driver, am I right?"

"Huh, I wouldn't know." Caroline replied with pursed lips. "We always have our driver Rudolfo on call when we're going out, you know, just in case."

"Oh, riiight you have a driver, of course…" Lizzie nodded awkwardly, and then took an elongated sip from her wine glass so as to ignore silence that followed. Darcy felt a laugh tickle his throat but he tried to cover it with a cough, making a scoffing sound. Unbeknownst to him, Lizzie narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking his gesture to be a show of contempt.

"You have a beautiful home here at Netherfield," Jane glanced around, wide-eyed at the splendor that surrounded them.

"You know, I always wondered what this place looked like from the inside. Not too shabby!" Lizzie agreed, her eyes drinking in the scenery as well.

"Why, thank you! We imported the rug from Peru," Caroline conceded, gesturing to the extravagant floor décor beneath them.

"You don't say!" Lizzie enthused, but her voice sounded somewhat strained. "Speaking of Peru, have you all been following that terrible kidnapping of gas workers by the Shining Path Rebels?" Her voice gained momentum as she spoke of the current event. "All the hostages were released, but I can imagine how terrifying it must been to be at the mercy of those guys. I mean, the rebels are known for their relentless brutality and violence after all!" As Lizzie finished her monologue Caroline blinked at her, smile faltering slightly while Darcy found himself raising his brow, intrigued.

"Lizzie's at grad school studying mass communications," Jane explained, beaming at her sister while reaching out and giving Lizzie's arm a supportive squeeze. "She's always so up to date on world affairs; she keeps the whole family informed!"

"As I should!" Lizzie countered and for the first time all evening Darcy found himself completely engaged with what someone was conversing about. He felt himself admiring the intensity of Lizzie Bennet's eyes, how revealing and dramatic her expressions became as she began a rampage, making wild gestures with her hands as she spoke. "You know, it's crazy how oblivious the average American is to world news and current events. Maybe if we all spent half as much time watching CNN than we did wasting on Dance Moms and The Real House Wives of Wherever, this country wouldn't be the butt of so many international jokes!"

"Oh my god, I love the Real House Wives of Beverly hills!" Caroline replied with enthusiasm, having had blurred over Lizzie's rant only to catch the mention of reality TV titles. This caused the latter's jaw to slacken at a loss. "Do you watch it, Lizzie?" Darcy gave her a scornful look but found his gaze drawn back to Lizzie, jolted at the sight of her eyes locking with his. He had not thought to reassemble his facial composure so it remained contemptuous as he stood frozen in Lizzie's fixed stare, unable to notice the hardening look on her features. The moment broke at the sound of Bing Lee's pleasant voice from the dining room door frame.

"Alright everyone, dinner is ready to be served!"

_A/N: I missed Caroline in the last chapter; she's always so fun to write about. Thank you everyone for your continued support on this fic! __If you haven't already, be sure to follow the story to get alerted for Monday's update, Chapter 8: Dinner at Netherfield. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans!_


	8. Dinner at Netherfield

"If you all take a look around the table you should be able to find a card with your name on it." Bing advised loudly, before making his way over to Darcy, the Bennets and Caroline. His hand gently began ushering Jane to her seat, engaging her with his genuine smile.

"I hope you have been enjoying your night so far."

"Oh yes, very much!" Their voices trailed off from Darcy's radar as he poured himself one more drink, hoping the buzz from the alcohol would put him at ease for the task at hand: conversing with the table full of acquaintances. He felt an odd warmth overcome him as his senses realized Lizzie was beside him, pouring herself another glass of wine but after their lingering stare of moments previous she did not so much as glance in his direction before heading off to the table.

"Charlotte! Where have you been?!" He heard her exclaim as Miss Lu arrived beside her and the two became engrossed in muttered conversation as they found their seats. Darcy, knowing exactly where he was assigned to eat easily found his place at the dining table, assessing his immediate company and relaxing a bit as he did so. At the head of the table sat Bing with Jane on his right side and Caroline on his left. Darcy sat beside Caroline and Lizzie beside Jane, which meant that they were adjacent to each other for the evening, with Charlotte next to Lizzie and the rest of the long table filing out with the remainder of the guests. Once seated, Lizzie lifted her name card in examination.

"Who does calligraphy?" She inquired, impressed as her eyes traced over the elegant looping ink on her place card.

"Caroline had them commissioned for tonight." Bing said in response and Caroline lifted her chin proudly. Lizzie's mouth fell slightly agape and she exchanged a look with Charlotte who kept a tight mouth but expressive eyes.

"All this for a dinner party?" Lizzie was incredulous, causing Caroline's dignified facial posture to become more of a challenging one.

"No detail is too small for an event at Netherfield." She said calmly but her tone was illustrious.

"I think they're lovely." Jane interjected, her earnest voice breaking the sudden tension.

"Oh yes, they really are beautiful." Lizzie agreed, her voice apologetic, not wanting to offend her hosts. All the guests around the table had found their seating at this point and Bing stood, raising his glass to address them all.

"I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight, to join me, my sister Caroline—"he gestured his glass to her and she bowed her head affably "-and friend William Darcy-" repeating the notion to Darcy who nodded curtly "—for this dinner as a small token of our gratitude for being such a warm and welcoming community to us new in the neighborhood." As he continued, he shifted his eyes to Jane, gaze solely for her even as he addressed the room. "I hope that you find Netherfield to be half as accommodating, comforting and warmhearted as you have all been to us, and we hope that you will make this visit the first of many." Jane's large blue eyes were held captive by Bing's unwavering contact and Caroline, who watched the exchange alongside the immediate company cleared her throat to remind him he was still mid toast. Remembering himself, Bing blinked a few times then grinned widely around at his guests. "Now please everyone, enjoy your meal!" There was a murmur of good manners as the guests all raised their glass to take a sip for the toast. As Bing sat down, Lizzie and Charlotte exchanged yet another look, this one gushing at what they had just witnessed. In the privacy of Lizzie's room later they would jokingly recall it as Bing had declaring his true love whilst surrounded by silverware and chardonnay. A small wait staff hired by Caroline for the evening appeared to serve the first course—a creamy lobster bisque, following that with a small green salad and a basket of freshly baked bread to pass around. Caroline took it upon herself to explain how they were to eat the bread appropriately.

"It is a French custom to break off the piece you want to eat, and then dip it in oil with your fork. Taking a ravaging bite like barbarians is poor etiquette." Her smile never wavered as she demonstrated the proper way expected.

"Are we in France?" Lizzie's voice was quiet and high pitched as she joked out of the side of her mouth, forcing Charlotte to hold in a chuckle and Darcy's lip to turn up slightly while Jane gave her a nervous frown, Caroline and Bing unbeknownst to what she said. Just to be sure, Jane quickly made conversation.

"You know, Lizzie speaks French!" All eyes turned to the brunette who opened and closed her mouth like a guppy before stuttering a response.

"I—I don't—"

"Don't be so modest, Lizzie! You studied it for a few years!"

"Yeah, in high school—"

"Really?" Caroline flipped her hair to one side before she addressed Lizzie with a near perfect accent "Est-ce que vous me comprenez pas?"

"Je ne parle pas bien français." Lizzie admitted weakly, bumbling over her words and pronunciation. "I really don't…"

Charlotte chimed in. "You were very fond of those French independent films we saw at the university screening a few weeks ago…"

"Yeah, because they had English subtitles!" Lizzie was exasperated. "Besides you don't really need to _understand_ the language completely to appreciate the emotion and aesthetics of foreign film making."

"Yes, but I'm sure it would only enhance the experience." Darcy replied in his quiet, even tone with eyes for Lizzie. She glanced uncertainly at him then to Charlotte who had begun to share her thoughts on the aforementioned screening stirring a discussion from the table. Darcy, mind dulled slightly from the scotch he had apprehensively drunk throughout the evening did not feel the need to participate. Instead he took to merely watching lizzie's reactions to the conversation, listening to her input with eager ears. Although perhaps she was not a fluent speaker of French she certainly understood the language to an extent, he thought inwardly. The pretty but blank silhouette he had painted in his mind of his dance partner began to bloom with color as he learned more details of her character. She was opinioned, to be sure, with a quick wit and conversational tongue. She was a fan of the filmmaking arts and foreign culture, well-versed and informed on world affairs, with a fiery, passionate spirit that she kept at bay but burned constantly in her brilliant eyes. What other virtues would she reveal to him as the night progressed?

The main course arrived, a succulent roast duck marinated in a tangy glaze over a rice pilaf with a side of grilled vegetables.

"This food is amazing!" Lizzie raved and Darcy internally checked off a little box in his mind labeling Lizzie Bennet as courteous. "My compliments to the chef!"

"Caroline arranged the menu for tonight," Bing smiled at his sister and she flashed him a small grin. "She has a talent for good taste."

"It is tiresome work putting these dinners together," Caroline professed. "But it's nice to know that it is well-received and appreciated." Lizzie set her eyes on the beauty, lips puckered to the side in contemplation. She couldn't help but wonder how tiresome it must be for those who actually shopped for, prepared and served the meal but her good manners kept her teeth to her tongue. She glanced over to see that Jane and Bing were now immersed in huddled conversation over their meals, Bing talking avidly while Jane nodded pleasantly and giving her two cents from time to time. This turned Lizzie's expression smug from her seat as she watched the two exchange words, satisfied with her sister's procacious approach.

After the meal, the wait staff whisked away their plates only to return with a small cheese and grape platter for each of the guests and hosts. Following that, a small slice of chocolate mousse arrived topped with a chocolate drizzled strawberry and beside it a small snickerdoodle cookie covered in rainbow sprinkles.

"Aw, oh, Bing!" Jane fluttered delightedly at the sight of her homemade baked good on the dessert plate and she placed a hand on Bing's which rested on the table. Darcy glimpsed over at Caroline to see her glare down at the childish cookie next to her elegant confection with a seething stare. It took her a moment before she regained herself with a tight smile that did not quite reach her eyes. Bing put his other hand on Jane's and gave it a little squeeze.

"I figured not everyone would get a chance to try one before the dinner, and it would be a shame if they left without tasting this sweet contribution to the evening." Jane's expression was tender, with a warm smile gracing her lips and eyes sparkling. She bashfully turned away, a blush coloring her cheeks at his words and Bing's smile only widened.

"Isn't that sweet, Lizzie? Look, he put my snickerdoodles on the dessert plate!"

"Very sweet!" Lizzie agreed, genuinely pleased at the gesture and Charlotte nodded encouragingly at Jane from beside her. Bing took this opportunity to address Caroline.

"I hope you don't mind, sis," He whispered and she shook her head, though rather shortly with her lips curling in between a smile and a sneer. Bing, who was too consumed with thoughts of Jane, did not notice the forced nature of the response and turned back to the lady in question. Dessert passed by rather quietly at their end of the table and as everyone finished up Bing rose to address the room once again.

"I hope you all enjoyed the meal! Let's all give my sister Caroline a round of applause for organizing everything," The guests around the table politely clapped. "If you are not in a hurry to leave, I hope you all will join us in the lounge for an after dinner coffee or a drink!"

_Thank you everyone for your continued support on this fic! __If you haven't already, be sure to follow the story to get alerted for Thursday's update, Chapter 9: After Dinner Drinks. As always, comments and reviews appreciated! Please share this with other LBD fans!_


	9. After Dinner Drinks

After Bing's announcement a majority of the guests all made their way to the living area which had high ceilings, dark comfortable furniture, and bright pieces of contemporary art on the walls along with the gigantic screen of a television.

"Nice set up!" Lizzie complimented as her eyes took in the entirety of the room. She turned to Bing, brimming with enthusiasm. "You know, if you added surround sound stereos to the mix I bet you could get some amazing amplified sound off of these walls. The acoustics in here are great!"

"Huh! I'll look into it!" Bing played off her excitement as a way to rope Darcy into the conversation, putting an arm on his pal's shoulder. "You should really talk to Darcy about this sort of stuff; he's great when it comes to tech and gadgets!"

"Well, I would hope so." Was Darcy's remark, attempting to jest but the booze had worn off him after eating dinner and he felt the uncomfortable itch of having to socialize creep up his neck as he tugged at his collar. "It is my professional area of expertise, after all." Lizzie peered at him with a scowl, mistaking his tone as quite arrogant rather than the jovial he had hoped to portray, which in fairness, he did not execute well.

"I'm going to go…er…freshen up." Lizzie said to excuse herself from the conversation and Bing directed her to the bathroom down the hall. Darcy ducked over to the second bar, this one a sleek black surface on the other end of the entertainment room with an colorful illuminated shelving unit behind holding liquors, glasses and a modern cooler. After making himself another drink, Darcy glanced around the room, watching as Caroline laughed breezily to something Jane was saying, patting an affection arm on the girl's shoulder. Bing and Charlotte conversed with a group over by the sofa and different sets of guests chatted animatedly in the various sections of the lounge. A couple of girls nearest to him were pouring themselves gin and tonics on an end table, giggling and shrieking as one accidentally overflowed her glass. As Darcy glared at their lack of civility he noticed in the distance behind them Lizzie Bennet had returned, emerging from the hallway door frame.

Darcy found himself entranced, observing as she causally eluded the other guests to peruse the room's in-wall bookshelf with her wine glance in hand. She really was quite beautiful, a strange species among these churlish guests. His eyes traveled down her form, jealous of the silvery blue fabric that had the privilege to caress her every curve. He felt something stir within him, something raw and primal and foreign to him, for he had always thought himself to be a perfect gentleman.

The impurity of his thoughts recalled Darcy's mind back to his days at Harvard, how women had thrown themselves at him-the new heir of Pemberley Digital with a multimillion dollar net worth-and he, a grieving fool at the loss of his father had succumbed to it all. It had been a dark time for William and only through a chance encounter with Bing Lee after a freshmen seminar, where the latter's kindness formed a new friendship, caused Darcy's outlook on the world to slowly uplift. He glanced at his friend, who had now returned to conversing with the elder Miss Bennet and enjoying her smiles which caused an influx of worry to rush over Darcy. It had been Bing's humility, understanding and his true and natural goodness that had saved Darcy from the internal solitude of his grief. He would be forever indebted to his companion and the thought of a silly girl, no matter how lovely, coyly taking for granted Bing's heart made him ill with apprehension. He would have to watch them both closely, for after what he witnessed tonight knew Bing to be enamored with her. Miss Jane, whose true character remained guarded from them still, he was not so sure.

"Thank _god_ for Pinot noir" Caroline said in greeting as she pour herself another glass. "Thanks again for stocking the bar, I thought we were going to be forced to endure boxed wine to get through tonight."

"My pleasure." Darcy took a sip of his drink. "Although I think we'd better send Bing off to the liquor store next time, the clerk essentially harassed me to find out where I was from, why we moved to this town, what my mother's maiden name was and if I thought their haircut was fitting to their face shape." Darcy shuttered at the uncomfortable memory of being cornered by the cashier and Caroline snickered.

"I asked those girls over by the jade tree—" She gestured her drink toward the potted plant where the gin and tonic ladies were conversing "—where a good place to go for brunch in this town would be. They recommended the Olive Garden." Caroline's voice dripped with disbelieving amusement and Darcy guffawed into his drink. They really were a long way from the high caliber life style the Lees and Darcy had grown accustomed to over the years of being well-breed and wealthy. "The Bennet girls are surprisingly well-mannered having grown up here." Caroline admitted, watching Darcy's face for a reaction. He shifted his eyes to her but made no other facial cue for her to determine his opinion. She pressed on. "Their family at the reception was, ahem, another story. You _will_ accompany my brother and I to their dinner next week, won't you? You won't abandon us..?"

"I will try." Was Darcy's measured response. He certainly was curious of the world Lizzie came from and wanted to keep his eyes on the progressing relation between Jane and Bing. "I am flying out in a few days, to San Francisco for a Domino meeting—"

"Another meeting?" Caroline interjected indignantly. "Didn't you just return from Chicago?" the corner of Darcy's lip upturned as he replied.

"That was a meeting with investors. I need to consult with the creative team. There are only so many things you can share through email and video calls."

"Fine." Caroline huffed. "Leave me alone with my bumbling brother. If he breaks out into musical numbers, declaring his affection for _dear jane_, sweet jane! You'll be sorry you've left me."

"If anyone can keep your brother at bay, it's you Caroline." Darcy assured her." I'll be back Monday, hopefully in time for the Bennet dinner." As his mouth formed the word Bennet his eyes flicked to where Lizzie stood, chatting with Charlotte and some of the other guests. Caroline grumbled from beside him, glaring out at the company in Netherfield.

"Yes, hopefully you will."

_A/N: Hey everyone, it's so awesome to have such support—85 followers and counting! If you haven't yet please leave a comment (if you feel like it) so I can put your lovely username or guest alias onto my thank you list which will be posted at the end of story when I eventually get there __ And if you're new to the story—hello! Please follow and (if you enjoy it enough fav!) to get alerted for next Monday's Chapter 10: Town Car to Carter's Bar. And remember—sharing is caring! So share the story with your fellow LBD fans! _


	10. Town Car to Carter's Bar

Darcy's stomach churned in anticipation as the shiny Lee town car pulled up to the curb of Netherfield's estate. Due to the countless texts from Caroline relaying cryptic horrors of the Bennet Dinner he had missed in addition to the insistent messages from Bing to join them out at a local bar, Darcy found himself hands deep in his trouser pockets and rolling on the balls of his feet, waiting on the sidewalk to be picked up. Although a long day of traveling had wearied Darcy he had decidedly missed the presence of his benign best friend and the fashionably aloof sister that came along with this, so upon receiving their messages he had complied to join them for a night out on the town. Upon seeing his characteristically serious reflection in the car's tinted windows as he approached, his slight uncertainty in joining this endeavor intensified. What followed the click of the opening car door only further amplified these apprehensions.

"_WOOO Carters!" _Squealed a girlish voice followed by erratic giggling and the pumping sound of the backseat stereo.

"God, Lydia settle down!" Annoyance rang in the voice that followed causing Darcy's stomach to lurch nervously as the car door swung open in its entirety to let him in. Next to the empty seat reserved for Darcy sat a silently scathing Caroline and observantly pleasant Bing whose attention was directed toward the fuss across from them. Darcy slid into the empty seat, his eyes drawn to the girls adjacent as well as he pulled the door closed beside him. Lizzie Bennet was fumbling irritably with her seat-belt attempting to buckle it as her energetic younger sibling was thrashing about in her seat to the beat of the music, the flaps of her neon orange sleeves fluttering as she tossed her vibrant hair. Jane was beside them, tittering as she caught eyes with Bing, causing the later to join her in a chuckle at the silliness of her sisters.

Bing turned to Darcy once they all were settled and the car rumbled beneath them, starting its drive.

"Glad you could join us! How was your flight? Sorry we weren't there to welcome you back."

"It's alright." Darcy affirmed as the car began pulling away from Netherfield. "This flight was uneventful. Gigi sends her..." he cleared his throat awkwardly, loosening his green plaid tie a bit. "...love." Although the town car was quite spacious for the six inhabitants, Darcy felt hot and cramped with anxiety. Caroline beside him was tapping her foot irately and the thumping music was pounding in time with an approaching headache. As if cued by Darcy's thought, Lizzie across from him yanked down the over flap of the radio and turned off the music which caused her younger sister to pause mid dance, expression twisting from gleeful to sour in an instant as she let out a high-pitched whine.

"_Li-zzie!" _she protested, glaring at her older sister who narrowed her eyes challengingly in response. Before an argument could break out Jane turned and patted the youngest's shoulder.

"There'll be plenty of time for dancing at Carter's, Lydia." She cooed, in an almost mothering way. Darcy observed with surprise as Lydia, rather than crossing her arms at being condescended to as he expected, settled back into her seat as if her energy was sedated by Jane's soft, careful voice. " Let's just relax and chat till we get there."

Lydia shrugged, corner of her lip upturning in a smile. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh sure, you listen to her." Instead it was Lizzie who rolled her eyes, clutching her arms to herself. Now that the tension and noise had dispelled, Darcy allowed himself to give her the quick once over. His eyes admired how the scoop of her grey ruffled top displayed her bosom flatteringly, and how her paisley blue skirt was fitting, stopping just at the knee so he had the pleasure of viewing the shape of her legs. It was a rather modest ensemble but gave his eyes just enough skin to allude to the mystery beneath. His gaze traced quickly back up to her face, startled as they caught eyes. They quickly broke contact. Darcy flushed and she shifted in discomfort in her seat for she had realized his surveying gaze before it met with hers and felt scrutinized.

"So what's this bar like?" Caroline questioned coolly from beside him, blandly shifting her eyes between the Bennet sisters. Jane opened her mouth to respond but Lydia flailed her arms out and burst like a firework before a word could be said.

"Ohmygod it's soooo fun! There are video games, and _hot boys_ and really great five-dollar cocktails!" She leaned in, hand to her cheek as if revealing a deliciously juicy secret. "The bartender's in a frat at the state U and the drinks he makes taste just like juice. But you get _so_ drunk from it, it's awesome!"

"And how do _you_ know all this?" Lizzie questioned, pinching Lydia and causing the girl to wince.

"Ow, hey! _Wha-ut_, his brother goes to CC with me, so sometimes a group of us go."

"_That is so illegal_." Lizzie muttered under her breath and Jane nervously began talking to divert the conversation.

"So! What are the bars like where you're all from?" She asked, peering between the Lees and Darcy with genuine interest.

"They're fun!" Bing offered, glancing to his sister and friend for input. "Although I don't think they have video games…"

"Or five-dollar cocktails." Caroline drawled quietly, running a hand through her hair. She spoke up a bit as she continued "I'm more a clubbing girl, myself. Bars tend to get so stale after an hour—"

"Totally! I know what you mean," Lydia interrupted, nodding her head fervently. "Dancing is so much fun! But there's this super cool dance game at Carter's that we can play…" She turned sideways to Lizzie, smirking as she articulated an insult at her sibling. "..although I wouldn't ask Lizzie to play, she's got the dancing abilities of a drunken giraffe."

"Shut up, I do not!" Lizzie started but Jane joined Lydia's laughter which caused a stupor in her retort.

"You are a little uncoordinated, Lizzie" Jane teased lightly, though her tone remained kind.

"But—no—I'm a _really _good dancer!" Lizzie insisted, a fierceness in her eyes as Lydia snorted.

"Good one, sis!" She put a hand to her mouth in a fitful of giggles, squinting eyes watering and Jane from beside her joined as well. Lizzie sighed dully, waiting for them to relent and as they died down, Jane's face fell at her expression.

"Oh, you were serious…"

"That makes it even funnier!" Lydia cried out, gasping from laughter and the two jocular siblings caught eyes and erupted into chortles once more at Lizzie's expense.

In the adjacent seats, Caroline continued to tap her heel but her lip was quivering into a sneer. Darcy, beside her, ran his hands over his knees, discomforted by the Bennet's behavior toward one another. He thought how Gigi would never openly mock or berate him in such a manner, especially around acquaintances. Bing, however, was laughing along, understanding of the Bennet's affections.

"Ah, sibling love!" He declared, putting an arm around Caroline and giving her shoulder a squeeze. She blinked apathetically at him, expression still cross. "Caroline and I heckle each other all the time, ain't that right sis?" Caroline let out short, disingenuous laugh before pulling his arm off her and dropping it in his lap.

"Whatever you say, _bro."_

"See!" Bing chuckled, gesturing to Caroline. "She's doing it right now."

"Look, look! We're here!" Lydia squealed, smacking her sister's knees then pointing to the car window. All eyes in the cab followed her finger to the red, curvy, neon sign in the sky reading "Carter's", the light of the s flickering weakly. The bar was situated in the middle of a shopping plaza and the dull glow of a twenty-four hour grocery store beamed from across the parking lot. Caroline turned to Bing, her expression relaying an _Are you serious?_ He was as infuriatingly agreeable as ever and merely smiled wider as if to show his excitement for the bar. She turned her disdain to Darcy, who met her eyes with a quick brow movement that confirmed her ill feelings were reciprocated.

_A/N: I love the dynamic between the Bennet sisters in LBD so this was fun to write about-I love when they're all together being a pain to one another. Makes me miss my own sister! If you haven't already follow and fav the story to get updated for next Thursday's chapter: The Bennet Dinner Revealed. Comments make me feel loved. (and its cool that some of you are finding me via the diaries! I should troll those comments with my story more.) On that note, sharing is caring, so share this with your other LBD friends! Peace, Love, LBD. _


	11. The Bennet Dinner Revealed

Once the car pulled to a stop in front of the establishment, Darcy was the first to emerge. He walked toward the front of the bar, adjusting his navy suit-jacket as Caroline's heel found the pavement behind him. She allowed the uniformed driver Rudolfo to help her out of the cab, wearing the cocktail dress she had tried to attend the wedding in a few weeks previous. The glitzy ensemble was muted only slightly by a black cardigan and as Caroline strutted toward Darcy he gave her the once over. His lips curled at her irritable expression.

"Nice dress." He complimented, but there was a taunt in his voice that was unmistakable. She grinned falsely at him, clutching a hand to her elbow.

"_Thanks._ To say I'm over-dressed would be an understatement." She cast her eyes over the outside of the bar. It was not much to look at, an ordinary brick building with a red covering above the windows as if it were a family chain restaurant. A plastic sign latched on the door read 'Cold beer and hot wings special $6.99'.

"Why were you wearing that to the Bennet dinner to begin with?"

Caroline shook her head. "I wanted an excuse to wear this, and since the bumpkin wedding was so casual I thought a formal dinner would be a step up. Silly me."

"You could have worn it to Bing's dinner party."

"No, I wanted to wear the Prada for that." She snapped. Darcy opened his mouth to retort but thought better of the notion and closed it. The two stood silently, watching as Bing dismissed the driver so he could help each Bennet sister out of the car.

"You seem a bit on edge tonight." Darcy observed, glancing sideways at her.

"Whatever do you mean, William? I'm as amiable as ever." Her voice was light and disregarding.

"What happened at the Bennet house? Your messages weren't very descriptive."

"Oh, I don't know." She responded sharply, setting cold eyes on him. "Maybe you would, if you had been there." Darcy remained silent in her gaze, and after a moment she shifted away from him.

"Caroline, you know I had a meeting."

"Whatever."

"Look," Darcy let out a breath and without thought put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her face to look at it, then to Darcy's expression-her own lingering with a tender yet questioning suspense. He lifted his hand off her when they caught eyes and for lack of a better purpose for it let the gesture fall limp at his side. He continued sternly "I'm not going to apologize for missing the dinner." At his words Caroline huffed, turning away.

"Of course not. William Darcy apologizes to no one."

"You know I would have been there if I was able to." He pressed on, though his gaze left her and found where Lizzie was standing. He quieted as he watched Lizzie's lips curve up into a smile, her gaze directed to Bing helping Jane out of the car. "I wanted to be there…" Darcy's voice trailed off slightly as he admired Lizzie's distant beauty until he felt Caroline's eyes return to him. Remembering himself, he cleared his throat. "For your brother, and for you." The corners of his mouth twitched up and he turned back to Caroline who graced him with the shadow of a smile.

"Well, not the apology I was looking for but I guess that will do." She said wryly, visibly pleased. In the distance the Bennets and Bing were conversing about something, meandering toward them slowly.

"Glad you're satisfied." Darcy smirked. "Now, what exactly happened at the dinner?" Her face fell, but comically so and she began to reveal the story of the evening.

"It was a disaster." She put a pondering finger to her lip. "I don't think I've ever been so insulted in such a short amount of time."

"That terrible?" Darcy queried, intrigue yet concern apparent in his voice. She laughed harshly at this.

"You're surprised? _Please._" Caroline pulled her small black purse off a shoulder, digging out a compact mirror to survey her appearance in as she continued. "Well, to start off the evening Mrs. Bennet set on the table two pairs of chopsticks for Bing and I, you know, to be 'culturally conscious' as she described it." Darcy gawked at this bit of information then let out a disbelieving laugh. He remembered the boisterous woman from the wedding reception, with her pushy implications and the conspiring twinkle in her eye. Sure, she was ridiculous and he had been unsettled by her then, but he never imagined she would be so utterly tactless. Caroline smiled sideways at him, closing her mirror. "Just wait, it gets better." She returned the compact to her purse, lifting her chin toward the approaching Bennets. "The little one—" Darcy's eyes found Lydia, who was actually skipping with excitement around the others. "-snatched my chopsticks up when I said I would prefer a fork and knife. _Apparently _she is not well-trained on using them because she dropped some filet salmon down her dress then proceeded to wiggle around until it fell out onto the floor. When her father suggested she change into clean attire, she insisted on bringing the fallen salmon piece upstairs so she could feed it to her pet cat."

"Lydia must get her charm from her mother," Darcy mused aloud, the snark from his witticism causing Caroline to laugh before she continued relaying the incidents of the evening. "_Then _Mrs. Bennet—overly eager to pass Bing the salad bowl—knocked his glass of white wine onto his lap. She began apologizing and grabbed a dishtowel to help dry him off, basically starting to give my brother an over-the-pants—"

"I think I get the gist." Darcy interrupted, not wanted her to finish that thought. "So overall, not the most pleasant experience at the Bennet household."

"Not quite." Caroline agreed with his statement but before they could discuss it further Bing and the Bennet sisters were upon them.

_A/N: How's that for an embarrassing dinner at the Bennet household? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though the story took a bit of build up before finally getting to Carter's Bar. I like to write about some of the unmentioned moments of the diaries to get a better sense of the characters and universe. Be sure to follow for next week's update Chapter 12: Redcoats and Coattails. Comments keep me motivated to write so keep them coming! Also, be sure to share this fic with other LBD fans!_


	12. Redcoats and Coattails

"Charlotte said she would meet us inside." Lizzie announced to the group and sure enough as they entered Carter's the girl in question was already situated at a corner booth, nursing a beer. As they approach Darcy glanced around with contempt at the colorful blinking lights of distant pin-ball machines and various arcade games situated on the far wall near the bartender. On the way to the booth, they passed a group of twenty-somethings hooting and hollering over a rowdy game of pool, one blonde in a halter top stumbling and squinting as she attempted to take her shot. Her friends all squawked like obnoxious farm fowl as she missed her target and her chin skid against the beer-stained pool felt in a drunken stupor. From beside Darcy, Caroline made a _tch_ sound of disapproval in their direction though he knew the gesture was meant for his ears.

Once the Lees, Darcy and Bennets arrived at the reserved booth, Charlotte rose to greet them all. The sisters and Bing all responded with enthusiasm as Darcy and Caroline remained aloof, a little ways behind. As they stood, Caroline murmured to him with velvet disdain "We're in the Chuck E. Cheese of after-hours." Before he could respond, Bing's loud voice rung keenly from the center of their cluster.

"Alright drinks on me, what does everyone want?" He questioned, glancing around expectantly at their faces. Before anyone could answer or protest his generosity he spoke again "Wait—wait! Don't tell, I'm really good at this." And he clasped his hands on Caroline and Darcy, respectively.

"Long Island for my lovely sister, and a cognac for my ever-cogitative best friend."

"You know me so well." Caroline simpered at him and Darcy gave Bing a curt nod.

"That's fine, thank you."

"Oooh ooh me next!" Lydia bounced with a raised hand and Bing smiled, following her bright eyes to the slushie machine behind the bar.

"A strawberry daiquiri for the strawberry-haired lady," She squealed in glee at his correct assumption which caused a reproving look from the middle Bennet. "As for Lizzie," He turned contemplative eyes on her, and she quickly changed expression to one of surprise at the mention of her name. "A classic jack and coke."

"Oh, Bing, you don't have to—" She protested with earnest but he held a silencing hand up, pointing to Charolotte's bottle. "A refill for Charlotte—what is that, exactly?"

"A Redcoat Ruby Mild, it's their house ale."

"Sound's great! So that leaves Jane-" Bing turned last to the girl in question, who had watched his spectacle with a mirthful twinkle in her eyes. When they caught each other's gaze he shifted his head slightly, eyes narrowing in consideration. She mimicked his movements with a contained, cheeky smile and he let out a laugh, moving towards her. "Ah, hmmm, wait it's coming to me…" He came up to her person, chin tipped down toward her face and she laughed, cheeks rosy as his hands lightly touched her temples. Bing's eyes closed as he focused on guessing her drink, leaning his forehead against hers in concentration. While the Bennets and Charlotte chuckled at the harmless affectionate display, Darcy found Bing's frivolous flirtation uncomfortable to witness and his blood warmed in uneasiness. He glanced over to see a few tipsy pool players gawk in their direction and he turned his sights to Caroline, hoping she would voice disparagement so he would not have to. To his displeasure she was smiling along with the others, putting on a face of false amity.

"Vodka Cranberry!" Bing announced suddenly and Jane's breath caught in astonishment as he pulled away, grinning down at her expression.

"How did you know?"

"It's a secret." He replied with a wink, then turned away from Jane's deep blush with an easy smile of his own. He patted Darcy's shoulder as he passed on his way to the bar and the girls all inched closer to Jane to gush about what had transpired. Even Caroline joined their conversation, Darcy hearing her drawl "My brother likes to be the center of attention. He was always the court jester to my princess when we were kids." as he stepped around the flock to seat himself at the booth. The girls gabbled for a few minutes before Bing returned with a tray of their drinks, setting it on the table so the group would be inclined to join Darcy in sitting.

The first few rounds were mild enough, though Darcy made little conversation and kept to his drink while the others chatted over the table, growing progressively louder with each casual sip. His brow furrowed curiously as he watched Jane, Lizzie and Charlotte seemingly tag-team in offering to buy the Lee's drinks though he remembered the shameful events of the Bennet dinner Caroline had confided and his suspicions of their behavior increased at this notion. A clever ploy, to use spirits to stain memories so the embarrassment of the evening would be blurred in a boozy haze. As his mind curled around this cognition, his thoughts were scattered as Bing put an arm around him, attempting to yield his opinion on Jane's attire.

"Isn't her dress stunning, Darcy, my right hand man? Can you believe she sewed it her_self_!" The emphasis on the last bit of his sentence was due to his fifth redcoat of the night and Darcy scoffed, unsurprised that Bing's politeness never wavered, even as he became slightly buzzed.

"Let me get you another beer, Bing!" Lizzie offered, standing. As she turned to fetch it, Darcy slid out from under Bing's arm, somehow compelled to follow her perhaps due to his third straight cognac. He was a few steps behind her and he slowed once she situated herself at the bar, his eyes admiring how pensive she waited with fingers drumming the tabletop. Her face was turned ever-so slightly so he could make out her profile in the dim light off the adjacent glowing Budweiser sign.

"Jack and Coke, correct?" He asked, surprised by the sound of his own deep voice. She turned to him, blinking at the suddenness of his appearance with the face of a head-beamed struck deer. She recovered quickly, clearing her throat and shifting her eyes to the set of lined glasses on the bar with a frown. "No, um, thank you." She coughed. "I ordered the table a pitcher."

"Oh, right." was all Darcy could think to say and before he could muster something intelligible the bartender had appeared with the said drink. She picked up the tray of glasses and turned to him with a slightly pained expression.

"There's a deal on Mondays." She explained lamely, pausing for a moment before turning with abruptness and walking toward the table. Darcy watched her hurry away, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth downward.

"What can I get you, buddy?" The red-polo'd bartender questioned, causing Darcy to tear his gaze from her retreating form.

"Cognac, on the rocks." He said with measure, glancing over his shoulder toward Lizzie and the others. "Make it a double."

_A/N: Hey readers, sorry this post is later than usual I am currently swamped with finals but I am keeping to the LBD schedule as best as I can. I also made the editing decision to split this chapter so it has a different name than what I said it would be in the last update. I hope you all liked it, leave a comment, show some love at Darcy's sad attempts to be suave. More to come on that subject, I promise. Follow for next update Chapter 13: Drinking in the View. Share this with everyone you know. Do it. Do it for Darcy. He's not the best at these, er, social situations and could use all the LBD support. _


	13. Drinking in the View

When Darcy approached the table, the majority of the group was laughing at some joke he had missed the punch line to, though he noted Caroline only offered a thin smile and slightly lifted eyes as she took a sip of her drink. As Darcy slid in the booth he was beside Lizzie and he watched her body stiffen at his presence, her face determined to avoid his eyes. Lydia was seated next to her-only on her second cocktail due to the supervision of her sisters—and was acting more rambunctious than before, though Darcy hadn't believed it to be possible. He watched as she casually polished off the nearly empty glasses around the table when her siblings weren't looking, as if she was some bottom-feeder crustacean and the alcohol was her source of life. When she pleaded with her sisters for a glass of the pitcher's beer, they refused and she attempted to snag Lizzie's cup from her hands in defiance, forcing the later to lean back into Darcy's chest. The touch of her body against his was like a bolt of lightning, and his chest fizzled with her warmth even after the moment passed. What an affect this woman had, that just a miniscule nudge could cause such an intense reaction. He tried to steady his heartbeat while keeping his face blank as the rest of the group filed out to try their hand at video games via Bing's suggestion. Caroline remained behind, her finger pushing the little pink umbrella around the rim of her drink before pinching it out and placing it on the booth table.

"_What _are we doing here, William? This place is barbaric." Caroline's eyes were directed to where Lydia was flirtatiously swinging a whack-a-mole mallet with a boy Darcy recognized as one of the pool players they had passed earlier. Caroline took an elongated sip from the bendy straw in her drink before speaking again. "I am three long islands in and even _that_ can't make me forget the fact that we're at a table with a plastic drink menu." She lifted the evidence in question, glaring as drops of beer ran off onto the table as she did so. "And just look at how ridiculous Bing is attempting to play video games! I wouldn't be caught dead touching those germ-ridden joy sticks." She shuttered and Darcy followed her gaze to where Bing and Jane were laughing and punching at the buttons on a retro arcade game though his attention was stolen away as Lizzie walked by the two, claiming possession of the Mrs. Pac Man machine. "Really, how could any self-respecting adult waste their time on such childish activities?"

"Well, Caroline, I'll admit it isn't particularly my cup of tea you can't berate others for enjoying such innocent amusements." Was Darcy's reply, watching as Lizzie lifted her hands in celebration after presumably beating a difficult level of the game. He felt a twinge of jealousy as Bing easily clapped a hand on her shoulder to congratulate the achievement but he brushed off the ill feeling, knowing that Bing was only being his usual, friendly self. He cleared his throat then glanced to Caroline who had cocked a brow questioningly at his words. "You have your shopping, and your party planning, they have their video games…we each have our own vices." As he finished he took a sip of his drink to signify his.

"Whatever, this place is a cultural wasteland. I can't imagine my brother actually enjoys it here," She said, glaring towards Bing before turning back to Darcy. "…and I know you better than that to assume you get any pleasure from this depressing little town."

"Well, it's not actually that terrible." He confessed, eyes drawn back to Lizzie who had abandoned her machine and was now cheering Bing on at the Space Invaders game. He felt Caroline's eyes on him and fearing he had relayed to much in his tone, and quickly complied with what she wanted to hear "But I suppose I could see what you mean."

"Yes, well, it's not as if the company we're enduring due to Bing's infatuation is what we're used to. Conversations are so noisy yet pointless, and there's an overall lack of sophistica-"

"I disagree with you there." The words escaped him and Caroline pursed her lips in response to the interruption.

"Oh, do you now? Please, share."

"Well, I…" Darcy struggled to verbalize his thoughts without revealing the strangeness Lizzie Bennet's power had over him, even from afar. He looked to the girl in question as he spoke; regarding her lovely features as he stumbled over his words "I noticed there is a sense of passion that is very, er, becoming…. Yes, becoming in the brightness of a, uh, striking pair of eyes on a very…pretty…woman." He finished the sentiment weakly his eyes still captivated by the distance Miss Bennet. He was jolted by the appearance of Jane and Charlotte who announced their presence apologetically, not even bothering to slide into the booth.

"Oh don't mind us, we just forgot our drinks over here," Jane said lightly, grabbing her glass of beer from the table. "You guys should come join us; the video games are silly but actually really fun!"

"We're all set, thank you." Caroline replied for the pair, and Charlotte and Jane shrugged before retreating back to the arcade machines. Once they were out of earshot, Caroline turned expectantly to Darcy, a taunt in her voice. "Unless, of course, you'd like to swap quarters with Lizzie." Darcy sputtered into his drink and she shook her head pointedly. "Don't deny it; I know that weird, disjointed statement about pretty eyes was for her. You were all but drooling in her direction the entire time you spoke."

"I don't…" Darcy started, but feebly so, and Caroline continued her ridicule.

"How cute. William Darcy has a crush." Her voice was patronizing and cold, her expression revealing nothing other than a pretentious snobbery, not even a hint of teasing enjoyment at his expense. "Oh look, your little crush is headed this way." Darcy's ears burned at her words. Although he hadn't internally confessed this growing attraction to Lizzie, Caroline had somehow extracted it from him using her cunning remarks. His stomach churned uneasily knowing that she now had something to lord over him, a feeling he highly detested. Aware he'd be unable to make suitable conversation with Lizzie now that Caroline was beside him with her smug commentary, he pulled out his cellphone to give purpose to his now anxious hands.

"Are you fake texting?" Caroline asked, appalled at his behavior stirred by Lizzie's approach.

"It's…important, business related…" He mumbled just as the girl of Darcy's distant desire arrived before them.

_A/N: Hey readers, I apologize for this update being a day late-I had to finish up my 22 page term paper and school work takes priority to this fic unfortunately. I hope you all understand! But luckily the semester is now over and I can focus more on creative writing :) I will be traveling with my family the next two weeks through Ireland though on a family vacation so depending on my wifi access (I will have my laptop with me!) the update schedule may get a bit wonky but I will try my best to get the next two updates out on time. Please be patient. As always, reviews are appreciated, as are follows and shares! _


	14. The Most Awkward Just Dance Ever

"Sorry to interrupt—" Lizzie started as she arrived at the table, eyes sweeping between Darcy and Caroline before glancing to Jane who stood beside her. "We're just here to get my..uh…"

"Purse?" Jane reminded her with a laugh.

"Yes! Right, my purse." Darcy's eyes remained on his phone, ignoring the pair and composing a text about demo logistics which he had no intention on sending to anyone. He internally cursed a few choice words meant for Caroline who he knew to be watching his movements in response to Lizzie's presence, no doubt hoping to gain more evidence she could use to ridicule him with; she did so enjoy giving him a hard time.

There was an odd silence that followed Lizzie's words, he noted, but kept himself focused on the cellphone until a discomforted cough claimed his attention. Jerking his head up, Darcy was startled to find three pairs of eyes staring back at him expectantly.

"S-sorry?" He croaked, looked between the awaiting Bennets with their creased foreheads to Caroline seated across from him with a dull frown.

"Her purse, Darcy." Caroline informed in a bland tone. "You're in the way."

He followed her eyes to the pile of coats and handbags beside him on the seat. The cogs of his mind were rusted from embarrassment and slight inebriation but after a moment they clicked forward to the sudden realization of her words.

"Oh, er, right." His phone dropped to the table with a clatter as Darcy pulled himself out of the booth, stepping aside so Lizzie could retrieve her belongings.

"So are you two enjoying your drinks?" His ears registered Jane's voice though he tuned out Caroline's falsely genial response as he stood quietly next to Lizzie who had seated herself in his place as she rummaged through the purse in her lap.

"Ah, yes!" He heard her whisper as she counted the four quarters in her palm before jumping to her feet. "Alright Jane! I got my change, leeet's dance!" Jane turned from her conversation with Caroline as Lizzie bobbed her head over whilst humming a tune in time with the overhead bar stereo's music.

"Oh—no, Lizzie-" Jane shook her head apologetically but she smiled as her sister did a little shoulder shimmy. "I'd really rather watch, why don't you ask Charlotte to play?" as she said this Miss Lu and Bing had joined their cluster.

"Oh trust me, she did." Charlotte entered the conversation with a nod of the head, articulating her response loudly for Lizzie's attention as the later continued to hum and snap her fingers with a jerking dance motion. "And I already told Lizzie that I do not _want_ to get smacked in the head with her noddle arms. You know how into this game she gets, especially after a few rounds of drinks." Lizzie's reaction was to stop her tipsy dance, tilting her head down peevishly toward her friend, eyes narrowed with playfully pursed lips. Bing had pulled Caroline aside for a chat leaving Darcy alone to watch the girls bicker and tease each other while he stood a little ways away as an ease-dropping human statue. The exchange was puzzling and only further determined in his mind that Lizzie Bennet was a mystery-one he longed to unravel. One minute she was intellectually irresistible, conversing about politics and the arts; the next she was sprightly bantering with her sisters and friends in such a manner that Darcy was not quite sure what to make of it. He was beginning to realize Lizzie was never reserved in anything she did or said or believed in, yet maintained a sense of poise he found so curiously alluring. He was drawn to her lively spark as if she were a candle's dancing flicker and he, a moth in the night.

This sentiment was interrupted as the youngest Bennet's blaring presence announced herself, a prime example of the poise-less in Darcy's firm opinion. She squeezed into the cluster between her sisters, pulling a boy with a lip-ring in her wake.

"Woo-hoo party over Heee-ER!" She squealed and her male guest bobbed his shaggy head in time with the bar's music. "Ev-ah-ree-one! Meet David! He goes to tech school and is going—to—be-a-_plumber_! You know, like that Mario guy! Pretty awesome, am I RI-uuhht!" After a few drinks, Lydia was more erratic than ever, making larger-than-life hand gestures for a girl of her tiny stature. As she did so, her hand knocked Darcy's drink against his chest. "Oopsie!" She snorted, pawing at Darcy's vest where a few droplets of booze had splashed. His face paled instantly and as Charlotte and Lizzie pulled the bouncy red-head off him Darcy assessed the damage, letting out an agitated breath. It really wasn't too terrible, the dry cleaners have certainly seen worse but it was Lydia's behavior that made the spill less tolerable. What an insolent girl she was, disregarding her elder siblings and parading around the bar like a one-woman show of the shameless. It was her lack of reserve that was so unbecoming and it reflected poorly on her wearisome sisters taxed with the responsibility of keeping such a force in line. After a few hurried apologies from the older siblings which Darcy waved off in effort to remain level-headed, Jane turned to Lydia's friend and spoke up rather loudly as Lizzie took the youngest by the shoulders for a hushed scold beyond Darcy's earshot.

"So, um, hi David! It's so good to meet you." Jane greeted quickly, hoping to divert attention away from the scene Lydia was bound to make lest she continue being in the center of the group.

"What'd we miss?" Bing asked pleasantly as he returned with Caroline to the group's circle. "More importantly-Who wants another drink?"

"Me, me!" Lydia volunteered, shrugging off Lizzie's grip and taking an imposing step toward Bing.

"Oh, no, Lydia—" Jane pulled her back, her voice softening to that motherly quality Darcy witnessed before. "You don't need another drink because you were going to play Just Dance with Lizzie, remember?" Darcy felt his brow twitch—he hadn't expected Jane to try and use her power over Lydia in such a manipulative way, and he suspected it might have worked had it not been for the nature of her request causing Lydia to burst out into a stupor of drunken giggles.

"Jane—you-are-TOO-funny!" She gasped between laughs. "Lizzie dances like a_ frog_!"

"Oh-kay Lydia, _you_ need to calm down." Lizzie's voice was stern, but gained a pompous tone as she continued. "And, you know what? I don't need my sisters or friends to play Just Dance with me, because there's a _solo round_." She began to stalk off and out of some odd, uncharacteristic impulse Darcy took a step after her.

"Wait-!" She whipped around at his unexpected voice and all eyes of the group found Darcy. He felt quite foolish and uncomfortably warm, as if he had been thrown back onto the wedding dance floor and was frozen in an invisible spotlight. He glanced to Bing who only gave him an uncertain shrug, unsure where he was going with this though Darcy felt just as clueless. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, the sound it gave off similar to a scoffing sigh. His chin pushed toward his chest as he looked into Lizzie's piercingly beautiful steel-blue eyes. "If you really don't want to play that game alone…" He started, but was already regretting this decision, his features giving way to this pained predicament he found himself in. He could dance, to be certain, but participating in some dancing video game would give Caroline a lifetime's worth of material to mock him on and to his great fear perhaps some anecdotal evidence of his embarrassment as well.

"T-thanks." Lizzie said slowly, her brow knitted as she took in Darcy's reluctant posture. She shook out her expression, speaking toward the group rather than to him as she continued. "But I, er, realized that the song I want to do is a solo-round anyway and was just, you know, giving them all a hard time to, you know, be cheeky and what-not! Heh heh," Lizzie backed away toward the game wall as she spoke and her decline caused a wave of relief in Darcy, although he was happy she knew he would have endured for her. He would have endured for her! The thought rattled Darcy and he stepped around the remaining Bennets, Lees, Charlotte and that other boy, avoiding their eyes as he sat back at the booth to reflect on this sudden awareness. He would have played a dance video game for Lizzie. This girl he barely knew! No, this _woman_ he hardly understood. Darcy knocked back the remainder of his glass before glancing over his shoulder to the where she was bent, slotting quarters into a large cotton-candy blue dance machine. What was it about Miss Lizzie Bennet that had him acting so strangely, desiring so ardently that he would have publicly humiliated himself for her? Like the last few drops of his drink he decidedly swallowed these unfamiliar feelings and urges and impulses, hoping to sort and make sense of them before another outburst like tonight threatened to escape him.

_A/n: Cheers readers from Ireland! Technically its after midnight here (long day traveling) but it is still Monday in America so I am getting this update out on time : ) I hope you enjoyed Lizzie, and Lydia and Darcy's awkward-ness cause I'm pretty sure none of them did (except Lydia who at the moment doesn't care about such trivial things like "propriety" hehe). Please be sure to share your thoughts on this chapter, I read every comment and review(and thanks for being understanding on last week's late update). As always, be sure to follow, favorite and share with other LBD fans! _


	15. Working through the thoughts

Darcy set himself up to work in the usual spot—a mahogany writing desk in his Netherfield bedroom beneath a window overlooking the extravagant back garden. He had spread out across the hardwood surface to read through paperwork the company had faxed over for his approval and the occasional signature. The young CEO wrote notes in his immaculate cursive hand, tapping his ballpoint like a metronome as he did so out of habit.

Darcy felt off somehow from the typical steady work routine he had grown accustomed to—jittery even—though he could not determine what was causing such a disturbance in the normality of his workday. If it wasn't for this unsettling feeling he would be able to scroll though emails, squint at financial spreadsheets and sift through the nitty-gritty of Pemberley's business documents for hours on end then talk creative concepts with the team or pitch to an investment bureau with ease and precision. However, today he felt distracted and unable to focus on the contract the software division sent him about the new domino interface.

His eyes kept flickering over to the freshly bloomed flower that had opened in the center of a basket hanging outside his window sill. It was a tiny little blossom of a pale, powdery blue, its petals rippling every time a gust of summer wind graced its delicate body. Darcy placed his pen down on the desk, tilting his head slightly as he tried to recognize what the flower reminded him of. In this small pondering moment the eyes of Lizzie Bennet flashed across his mind causing a sudden irregularity in his heart beat that left Darcy feeling perturbed. He turned away from the little flower, attempting to ignore the reaction by gritting his teeth as he read over the sheet in his hands. It was no use; the letters blurred and the fluttering petals in his peripheral were the only thing he could think of once the resemblance had been made.

In frustration he pulled a cord connected to the window's shutters, hoping that removing the floret from his vision would allow him to return to his work. It was no avail. As he scribbled notes across his personal stationary the mahogany hardwood of the table kept stealing him away from the tasks at hand. The rich color of the wood was a beautiful reddish brown—the same hue as Lizzie's ravishing locks—another comparison that kept him from doing his job despite how dauntlessly he struggled against what was now devouring his waking thoughts: Lizzie Bennet. Lizzie Bennet. Had he not vowed to remove the woman from his head once he realized how bewitching her presence was to his wit and overall wellbeing?

Darcy again blamed Caroline for her continuous mockery on the subject since that night at Carter's bar a few days ago. She had lightened considerably since the first reaction to the instance but slipped in the occasional remark that brought him back to that evening and the perplexing realization he had to accept: -William Darcy was immensely attracted to Lizzie Bennet. When or where it had stirred from remained a mystery to him but at this point it no longer mattered. Any inkling of her presence or person dominated his mind—even an offhand mention of her name sent him into a mental spiral of thoughts hungry for more on the subject of the twenty four year old educated beauty.

In an effort to remove himself from any reminder or resemblance to Lizzie's loveliness he picked up his laptop and a manila folder of company paperwork only to re-situate himself in the downstairs lounge of the Netherfield estate. This only proved to be furthermore problematic. On the left in-wall bookshelf sat a Tolstoy novel which she had openly admired at Bing's dinner party and since forth he had pledged to read. He realized this was yet another instance that pinpointed his growing attraction for the woman, though at the time he had not registered why he desired to read Anna Karenina other than a healthy intellectual competition with Bing's house guests. The book was a beautiful rendition with gold indented lettering that kept shimmering in the sunlight which glittered on the bookshelf via the bay window of the lounge's south wall. Every time the natural light glinted across the print he was reminded of Lizzie and how fervidly she talked of the novel which made him yearn to read it rather than the thirty new emails he had received in regards to Pemberley's business efforts.

Air. He needed to get out of Netherfield for some fresh air. That was the antidote he desired to clear his mind and refocus his energy, away from Lizzie and onto his company. Shutting his highly expensive laptop, Darcy pulled himself off the lounge's leather couch and headed toward the foyer so he could make his escape of the grandiose property and the reminders of the woman that currently consumed his every thought despite how intensely he tried to control his wandering mind.

_A/N: Eep so I meant this chapter to be something else but it's, again, now split in two (be sure to follow for next Monday's update: A Casual Stroll) in an effort to have content for you lovely readers while I am out of the states. I know it's a little on the short side but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Be sure to comment, favorite, follow and share (as suggested by a reader I will be posting the first chapter or so on __ao3 in effort to reach more LBD fans but still be sure to share with other LBD fans if you wish to support the story for I will only be posting updates here. ) Right now this fic has 99 follows, so so close to 100! Thank you guys so much for the support it really does mean a lot and forces me to keep to deadlines which has been one of the major goals of this fic for me as a writer. I love you all, please treat yourself to a cup of tea for being so fabulous because in the wise words of Jane Bennet, everyone deserves tea. Fun fact: I am drinking some lemon green tea as I write this. :)_


	16. A Casual Stroll

Darcy emerged from the Netherfield's front doorway, striding purposefully down the stone path toward the estate's elongated driveway. As he headed toward the distant gate at the end of the property he glanced with longing toward the spacious three car garage behind which concealed his parked bicycle. The tires were unfortunately flat, adding them to a mental list of things he had been meaning to get around to. With his assistant remaining back at the Pemberley Digital corporate building he found that little trifling details of his otherwise orderly life were no longer given the proper attention, an adjustment from the well-oiled machine of a structured lifestyle he was accustomed to. This in turn made him ache for a casual cycle instead of a wandering stroll even more so.

As Darcy walked without much thought to his movements his mind became immersed in a fantasy of riding his bicycle down a dip in the road, flying past the shrubbery and flowered bushes of the surrounding homes. Their colors would blur together beside him like a vibrant tunnel as the wind would grace his skin and tousle the short stems of his neat black hair. The familiar buzz of his coasting wheels would join the summer's symphony of hissing sprinklers, twittering birds and the occasional thunk of distant a basketball meeting pavement. The sheer velocity of a simple ride would provide the rush he craved. The whoosh of a free-fall as he glided would douse over him, cleanse his thoughts so he'd be able to breathe in the energy and peace of mind that he so desperately yearned for.

"A man's only as useful as his focused mind, William." The face of his father flashed suddenly before Darcy's inner eye, his features just as handsome and prominent as his kin though his dark hair was beginning to silver with age. The scenery around them shifted to a mountainous landscape, powdery white and sparkling in the sun's winter light. The memory was so vivid that young Darcy could see the swirls of his breath in the cold air and the kindness in his father's eyes as he spoke to his son. His voice was powerful, yet quietly composed. "When your mind is cluttered, you won't be able to rely on what matters most—your logic, your reasoning, your ability to problem solve, to remain in control of any situation." He turned from the youth to cast his eyes out at the glorious snow veiled mountains. "That is why I am so fond of the Sierras. Merely sniffing the crisp air and basking in the beauty of the snow-capped peaks allows me to forget what is troubling my thoughts." He turned back, clasping a hand on Darcy's shoulder with a smile on his dignified jaw. "But it is the descend, my son, that brings forth clarity. It awakens each sense only to center your movements into one fluid vessel, so your mind can be free to zero in on what is important. What is necessary. What is hidden in the clutter of your head." As he finished this monologue the elder William Darcy in all his distinguished glory began his acclaimed descend, skiing down the snowy slope and out of young Darcy's reach. This notion, the later discovered, could be mimicked outside of the ski season atop a hillside with a bicycle underfoot to produce that same illuminating affect in his brain while calming his nervous, thus why he so intently wished for his to ride.

These reflective thoughts—the image of his father, the mountainside, the wisdom and strength in this internal voice had successfully distracted Darcy from what had been plaguing him to embark on this casual stroll. That was, until, he found himself approaching a mailbox with the name BENNET hand-painted across its side in a swirling girlish hand. His gaze then landed on the white picket fence that squared in the property, eye's widening as he turned while he strode past to take it all in.

The Bennet abode was easily the most colorful, grotesquely tacky home in the entirety of the neighborhood. The two-story house itself had pale blue shingles and a candy apple red door that held a wooden sign reading "Live. Laugh. Love." The porch housed hanging pots of petunias and a wind-chime with a stain-glass sun catcher on top; even from the street Darcy could notice the shoddy workmanship, making him suspect the ornament to be homemade. Beneath this sat white rocking chairs, blocked partially by tear-shaped bushes in the front garden, a touch over grown. Sprouting in front of these was a colorful array of flowers from pinks to oranges to yellows to reds though Darcy couldn't fathom what their names were or if there was any rhyme or reason to their placement along the stone path leading to the stoop. On the far right end of the house-beside the porch-perched a wooden structure where a blooming rosebush climbed and in the center of this exposition sat a faux marble statue of Cupid. The point of his arrow seemingly followed Darcy's eyes as he walked along the picket fence.

In the generosity of his mind, Darcy supposed there was a certain charm to the home, like something out of a children's fairy tale. He could easily pictures an old spinster baking pies inside or soaking laundry in a wooden washbasin dressed as a medieval wench. But could he imagine Lizzie living in such an unbecoming edifice? Before he could process any thought on this subject the front door of the house pulled open and a woman stepped out into the shadow of the porch. Darcy nearly miss-stepped in surprise, his heart leaping into his throat and unable to turn his head away from the distant figure who was now fiddling with a set of keys. Had thinking her name summoned Lizzie from the house? His neck was frozen in its position but he was able to force himself to continue walking. He marched on slowly to be certain, refusing to allow himself to stand there and watch like an idiot as the woman locked the door behind her. Every second felt like an hour, each one of her tiny movements causing an eruption in his nerves until she finally revealed herself by stepping down onto the walkway. The sun was like a spotlight on Jane Bennet's features, her eyes squinting to make out his distant profile. Darcy's head snapped forward and he continued his stride, sweating in his cream-colored buttoned shirt, brown suspenders seemingly digging down into his flesh from embarrassment of mistaking the sisters and the physical reaction a mere shadow had caused when he thought it belonged to Lizzie.

"Hello there Darcy!" He heard Jane call out to him. In an effort to be cordial he lifted his hand in a stiff salute, eyes remaining forward, movements rigid. In another surge of embarrassment he realized that his posture and gesture was similar to that of a soldier march and decided to readjust in an effort to look more relaxed and leisure as he neared the edge of their fence. However, his body was so tense that the result was an awkwardly jarring stride and as he walked on he could feel the curiously confused eyes of Jane and the point of cupid's arrow sharply against his back.

_A/n: Dear Readers, I am sooooo jettt laggggeddd. I don't even know what time it is because my laptop hasn't adjusted so I apologize I have a feeling this post isn't exactly in on time. But I have safely returned to the US! Huzzah! I hope you enjoyed this chapter—I just had this vision of Mrs. Bennet having a cupid statue in her yard following suitable passing young men like one of those eye illusion paintings, and if you have a cupid statue chances are your taste in landscaping would be just as gaudy. You know the drill-review, follow, favorite, share…wait a second WDD reached 100 readers! That's AMAZING! Thank you all so so much for giving my story a read, I've had such fun getting to know my versions of the LBD characters through writing this story and hope you all find them to be true to their youtube counterparts. I'm always open to thoughts and suggestions if you do or don't believe this to be the case, but since you all are still reading (hopefully haven't lost some of you 16 chapters deep!) I hope you are entertained by my efforts to give the LBD story some new perspectives. : )_

_Side note: confession as a writer—when I was a child I was tested for dyslexia since I showed symptoms of mixing up words and having trouble reading, writing and spelling. I fortunately am not dyslexic and as a young adult I have blossomed into an avid reader (and as you can see) am very fond of writing. But I am only human and do and will continue to make mistakes every now and again so I do apologize if the occasionally misused word or spelling mistake makes it into the final draft. Sometimes when you're staring at a screen and in your mind you know what you meant, it's hard to catch these little mishaps. If you do notice an error I request that you send me a PM and I will fix them as soon as I am able to. Shout out to reader __SOLYAHU__ who has been a big help in this regard (She's also an LBD writer so be sure check out her fics!) Thank you all again for the support on this story and my babbling author's notes. Okay I'm done now, back to the Darcinator. _


	17. Voicing Concerns and Video Games

"Well, what do you guys think?" Bing Lee asked expectantly, glancing between the two pairs of eyes peeking over their laptops at him from the lounge's leather couch.

"About what? You're tie? It's nice—Hermes if I'm not mistaken…?" Caroline tilted her head as she considered the blue silk fabric around her brother's neck.

"You're correct." Darcy advised her, shifting his own eyes back to his computer screen.

"No, guys! About the Xbox I bought us!" Bing gestured to the sleek black system on the in-wall shelf, gaining their attention once more. He picked up a wireless controller as he spoke. "I thought those video games at that bar were so fun that we should play some here! You know, relieve stress, take a load off, have a little _healthy competition_."

"You can't be serious." Caroline glared at the game controller then to her sibling's eager' expression. "You want to know what I think, Bing? I think that your dissertation for medical school—"

"Caroline, come on, lighten up—" Bing tried interrupting but his sister raised her voice, continuing.

"—is not going to write it's self—"

"-I told you it's a long process-"

"-And the only reason our parents indulged you, let you buying this place-"

"-I'm on track you know I am—"

"-was so you would focus and get it done—"

"I'm working on it!" Bing shouted in frustration, an act so out of character that Caroline fell silent. The eyes of the room waited as Bing swallowed, running a hand through his hair. "I—I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't mean…" He let out a sigh. "I _am_ working on it."

"Are you?" Caroline pushed, her stare unwavering. "Because I've seen that pile of books on your desk, yet all you seem to be thinking about, or doing is _nonsense_ when you really should be—"

"Sis, I've been doing research! That's what that pile of books is for!" Bing pointed toward the stairwell, exasperated. "I've been going over them tirelessly, really—I just—I need a break every now and then." Caroline let a breath out through her nostrils.

"Alright. If you say so…"

"I do. And I'm asking you to trust me. I know our parents are asking you to keep tabs…"

"Oh, please, Bing." Caroline rolled her eyes, but she smirked teasingly, the tension dispelled. "You_ know _I'm not still here because of them. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy your company, dear brother." He grinned, and then tossed a controller to the spot next to her on the couch.

"Great! Then play a game with me. I bought a racing one that looked really fun!"

"A-ha. No."

"You can even drive a Porsche!" He attempted to sway her with a sing-songy voice.

"I'll play." Darcy offered causing both the Lees to turn to him.

"Really—_you'll _play?" Caroline found this laughable but Bing's whole face lit up as Darcy closed his laptop and put his hand out. Bing tossed him a controller and took a spot between them on the couch.

"Work has been…stressful." Darcy caught Bing's eyes with a sideways glance, his lip uplifting in a slight smile. "I could use a distraction."

"My sentiments exactly." Bing agreed as the system chimed awake and the plasma screen on the wall lit up with the game's title screen along with some fast-paced music.

"Now, er, what are the controls exactly, may I ask?" Darcy stared dumbly at the mechanism in his hands as Bing began explaining each joystick and button's purpose.

"Oh, this is rich. The internet must know about this." Caroline tapped away at her keyboard gaining a reproving look from the young men beside her.

"Ignore her, Darcy. At least some of us know how to have a little fun every now and then."

"I'm sure I'll have tons of fun just watching the two of you make fools of yourself." Caroline replied cheekily. Bing made a well-practiced demonic face pulling at his skin, exposing eye whites and sticking his tongue out at her. She made a faux disgusted face then crossed her eyes in response to tease but suddenly the first race had started, drawing her brother's attention back to the screen. Both men leaned forward in their seats and Darcy could actually feel his neck sweating as he bit down on his own tongue, directing his little virtual sports car around a sharp bend. Living at Netherfield, he had become numbed to Caroline and Bing's bickering and sibling affections usually tuning out the occasional spat but there had been something in his friend's voice—a pleading of sorts—that had him worried. Caroline, from her spot on the couch was loudly mocking the two of them and the childish antics of playing a video game, putting a special emphasis on Darcy's ridiculousness besides Bing's natural video game skills but he promptly ignored her, knowing that these games, however ridiculous were putting his friend at ease. When she threatened to post a picture of him online, however, he spoke up with a verbal warning against the notion which only caused her to giggle maliciously though Bing spoke up on his behalf not to dare. After a few races Caroline had quieted, an oddity that stirred both their attention away from the game to glance and see she was staring wide-eyes at her computer screen, gleeful and completely immersed on what was before her, just out of their eye line.

"You're awfully quiet sis, did you hit your quota of sass for one day?" When she didn't respond, Bing tilted his head toward her laptop. "What are you looking at—"

"Nothing!" She shut the screen then popped up off the couch, inching toward the foyer while facing the boys. "You know what, hanging around you two is starting to make me feel stressed too…I think I'm going to go relax up stairs, watch some videos…"

"Don't tell me you're going to surf through clips of cats again." Darcy said in a bored tone, turning back to the television screen. "Don't forward me any 'cat's flushing the toilet' or 'cat's caught on the ceiling fan' like all the other times. I have enough emails as it is."

"Yes, yes, Darcy we all know you're _so_ busy." Caroline mocked. "But don't worry. I'm sure I'll find something a bit more…interesting to watch." She swept her hair over a shoulder then excused herself from the room.

"My sister. She's one of a kind." Bing said with a shake of his head. "I know she's only looking out for me, and I'm grateful that she cares so much to push me so hard. She wants to see me succeed. Just like my parents." Bing dropped his controller on the coffee table and Darcy placed his beside it, listening to his friend's grievances. "Darcy—I—I want to say thank you, for being here for me."

Darcy raised his brow, Bing's words sudden and unexpected. He opened his mouth to respond but Bing put a hand up to silence him.

"I know that this is…well, inconvenient for you. You run a business! And you run it well. Asking you to run it from here, to keep me company…I'm so grateful to have such a loyal best friend. I can't express how much it means to me, man."

Darcy cleared his throat, running a knuckle under his noise before speaking. "You were there for me when I had no one…when I didn't even realize how lonely I was in my grief." His eyes were fixed ahead, staring down at the controller on the coffee table. "After our father died, I had to be strong for Gigi yet I was my weakest, my most despicable during that first year at school after the accident." Darcy's voice was bitter from the memories but he pulled a hand down his face before turning to catch his friend's eye. "It is I who should be thanking you, for your friendship. I am here for you, as you were there for me. It is the very least I could do." Both of their mouth's upturned in an understanding smile but their eyes remained serious for a moment before Bing broke out into a wider grin.

"Ah, Darcy you're the best friend a guy could ask for!" He smacked his hand on his friend's back heartily a few times before grabbing the controller off the table. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you win."

"This game makes no logical sense…how could a BMW surpass the Lamborghini?" Darcy crinkled his forehead as he steered his virtual car. "From what I've read they're built completely different from overall mechanical structure to the exterior and interior design and the Italian sports car excels in every aspect."

"Darcy, you're my friend but you really shouldn't try to make out you to know anything about cars. You know, besides what you skim over in sports illustrated at the dentist."

"It was a very compelling article."

"How's this for compelling?" Bing swerved his car so that it cut Darcy's off and the two continued their good-humored banter as they played their video game long into the approaching night.

_A/N: I know this deviated a bit away from Darcy's growing affection to Lizzie but I think his relationships with other characters deserve a little nod in his diaries. This one is loosely based off a twitter conversation (entitled 'trying' on the LBD website). I hope you enjoyed it—be sure to share, review, favorite and follow for next week's update Chapter 18: Caroline, Queen of Everything. Since this one was out a wee bit off schedule I have that one posted a bit after midnight on Sunday (technically Monday) to make up for it and now that I'm back I will hopefully get off this jetlag-ness (I'm all messed up time wise!) and be on a better schedule. Ta-ta!_


	18. Caroline, Queen of Everything

There was a plush leather ottoman in front of him, empty and inviting as if beckoning his feet to prop themselves up but Darcy sat erect in his cushioned chair, tense and focused on the business at hand. "Yes, I'll send them right over. Alright. Good." As he spoke into his cell phone, eyes on the laptop upon his arm rest, Caroline Lee breezed into the room in a floaty white dress and perched herself on the vacant foot rest. His conversation was coming to its end and as Darcy murmured a formal goodbye to the gentleman on the other end of the line he watched Caroline cross her legs patiently, fingers clutching an electronic tablet in her lap with the smile of a minx.

"Get off your gadget, you're coming to lunch with me." She insisted playfully, tapping the device in her hands. "There's a sushi place in the town over that seems to have a pretty decent selection—" She presented the screen to Darcy who simply glanced at the website of a posh restaurant with a curious scowl "—and I am dying for some wasabi." She laughed at her own words. "I suppose I'm craving some _cultural consciousness_ in this insipid town after all."

"I thought Bing and you were going to lunch, for some Lee sibling soirée or what have you." At the mention of Bing, Darcy witnessed Caroline's mirthful smile vanish as if the façade of her bright spirits had been a feebly flickering candle, doused by a thoughtless breath. Her eyes blinked away and she clicked her tongue peevishly.

"Yes, well, Bing says it's too nice of a day to spend in some darkened restaurant and was allured to play mini-golf with little miss sunshine instead."

"Ah," Darcy said in response, tone all too understanding. She let out a disparaging noise before continuing.

"To think he actually tried to convince me to join them!" Her voice was scandalized. "As if I could be persuaded to play put-put and drink lemonade among the plastic windmills and this town's ample population of prepubescent brats."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Darcy said lightly, smirking as his inner vision pictured a cantankerous Caroline wildly swinging a hot pink golf club while shrieking children pranced around her in a circle like twittering, cartoonish canaries. "It sounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon."

"Ha-ha." She said dryly, falling back loftily onto her elbow. She stared off, wistful, as buttery light from the lounge's bay window made glimmering patterns on the wall. "You know, it must be so nice for Jane to have Bing in her life. She's a poor, home-bound girl incessantly doing others grunge work for a living. Then suddenly enters Bing-a rich, successful, ambitious young man willing to sweep her off her feet like the dust she sweeps from the floor."

"Hmm that sounds familiar, have I heard this story before?" Darcy commented sardonically, tilting his head in false contemplation. She turned her head to him and snorted in an elegantly derisive way only Caroline could manage with grace.

"Yes, I suppose it does bear a resemblance to that monotonously tired fairy fable about the cinder-princess," She sighed airily, a twinge of boredom in her voice.

"Does that make Bing prince charming?" Darcy questioned with a raise of his brow, lip pulling up on one side.

"Obviously." Caroline drawled, causing Darcy to huff, amused. She coyly narrowed her eyes at him, corners of her mouth curling as she straightened up on the ottoman. "What? We are basically royalty in this boorish little town."

"Netherfield is more or less the closest thing they have to a castle here." Darcy added in agreement.

"You know what I'd like to see?" Caroline asked rhetorically, yet her voice slowly began to reveal a sense of bitterness as she spoke, losing some of its jovial tone. "A fairytale where the girl's already a rich, fabulous princess and she doesn't marry a poor beggar, or foot solider, or a grotesque monster but gets to be charmed by an equally wealthy and handsome prince. _And_ she doesn't spend the majority of her day sleeping like a hung over housewife." Had Darcy been less distracted by the beep of a text from his cell phone, he may have noticed the pinch of anguish that carried in her voice as she continued. Perhaps he would have even seen how her gaze hardened; staring at the wall's dancing sun drops as they flickered on an unsightly paint chip. "Where is that story? Why can't the royals have a happy ending of their own?" Her voice got higher in tone as she spoke, though strangely softer in volume. "Why must they settle for a menial marriage? Or be shut off in a tower, while the real adventure carries on without them?" Her questions lingered over Caroline for a moment, like the quivering last note of a rueful song. Her brief moment of vulnerability was shattered by Darcy's deriding voice, for he had been only half listening, more immersed with his cell phone than her words.

"Perhaps you should write a strongly worded letter demanding they publish this tale to a late Hans Christian, or perhaps the Brothers Grimm. You always said you admired a dark sense of humor." He chuckled to himself as inspiration struck him. "You can call it Caroline, Queen of everything."

"Mmph." Was her distant response, glaring toward the paint chip. She shifted to Darcy, insulted that his attention was captured, once more, by his cellular device. "What did I say earlier? Cellphone off, sushi _now."_

"I can't, I have too much work to do here. In fact, I'm supposed to receive an important conference call in a few minutes."

"_Ugh_!" She was trembling in vexation as she stood, dainty fists clench at her sides. "What is it with you and all your boring business calls!" Her shouting startled Darcy and he blinked in confusion at Caroline before disregarding her twisted pout with an exhale of breath.

"Pardon me for having an actual career, Caroline, but I'm the CEO of an enterprise. I can't just lounge about with you when I have a company to run from this provincial place." His tone was patronizing and she let out a noise of miffed irritation.

"If it's so inconvenient why don't you just pack up and fly off to San Francisco for good? Oh right, cause then you'll be all alone with only your sister to pity your forsaken self." Her words cut through the air with intent to injure, but the childish nature of the taunt that followed softened the impact of her remark. "And if you really wanted to do work you wouldn't be lording around the _lounge_ you dolt."

"Don't you have some photo-shoot you can entertain yourself with?" Darcy said levelly with eyes on his phone, ignoring the minor verbal wound she had inflicted upon him so as not to give her any satisfaction or indication that she had affected him. "Or a credit card limit to max out?"

"_Oooh!" _She fumed venomously, storming out of the living area, her heels clicking dramatically on the polished hardwood. She then returned a moment later, arms crossed tightly to herself in a fury. "Actually, _I'm_ not leaving! _This_ is the lounge. It's a common place! If anyone should leave, it's _you_!" She sat down defiantly on the other end of the couch, legs coiling so firmly that Darcy was uncertain if they would ever come undone. He ignored her, typing away at his laptop although he could feel her restlessly twitching leg's movements carry through the cushions. They sat like this in silence for a few painstakingly quiet minutes before Caroline relented, untwisting herself then curling up on her end of the couch. Darcy glanced over at her, this time noticing the dolefulness on her pretty features, so visibly deflated. He sighed, wearied by her adolescent tantrum though he wasn't quite sure where it had sprang from, figuring she was holding a grudge at him for something petty and trivial, as she so often did.

"Caroline…" He started, and she turned a moping face to him. He scoffed, eyes to the ceiling then smirked over at her. "Why don't you go have a spa day or something." He suggested. "Get a manicure. Do something Bing and I wouldn't dare join you for."

"My nails are already perfectly French tipped, _thank you_." She said coldly, plopping her head back down on the couch cushion. Darcy shook his head, turning back to his work. After a moment she spoke again. "However, this house is covered in paint chips. It's disgusting. I can't believe you and Bing haven't done anything about it yet."

"Now why would we do something, when we know how much pleasure you get from complaining about it?"

"Ha-ha-ha. You're on a roll today_, _Darcy_." _Her voice was weighted with sarcasm but she looked back at him with a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. At that moment, his phone began vibrating, indicating his incoming business call. He back looked over at her just as she gave him the begrudging expression of _oh fine go ahead_ and his lips twitched up slightly as he answered the call. On her end of the couch, Caroline rolled herself upright, standing and stretching with a kittenish yawn before sauntering her way out of the room.

"If you want something done, you have to do it yourself." She sighed loudly as she left him and Darcy watched her depart with wryness in his smile.

_A/n: Although I am a strong supporter of the Darcy/Lizzie fandom, I found Caroline's story to be rather sad and misunderstood by many LBD fans, especially as the more I write her the more I sympathize with her. Yes, she's spoiled, and snotty and selfish but behind all the snark there is a girl who can feel the ones she cares about most slip away from her. I hope people don't mind that I am fleshing out the Caroline/Darcy dynamic a bit. Don't worry, there will be plenty of Darcy/Lizzie to come. Remember to follow, fav, review and share! (For those wondering this chapter is based on a twitter story of Caroline's entitled Paint Chips). _


	19. A Modest Proposal

"Darcy, isn't this lamp so fabulous? The glass was blown in Murano, see how the light reflects on it in little flecks?"

"Your tastes in interior design are divine as ever." Caroline beamed at the compliment, stepping away from the delicate fixture and placing two manicured hands on the back of the couch. She leaned over, her sheet of black hair falling and gracing Darcy's cheek as he sat typing on his laptop. He brushed it away as if he were swatting at a fly and she tittered.

"What are you working on now? You seem to be doing a lot of business in the lounge lately."

"Yes." Was his curt response. He hadn't wanted to admit that there were too many distractions as of late in his Netherfield bedroom. Now that he had placed the Tolstoy novel by his bedside for causal reading the lounge was currently free of any reminders to Lizzie Bennet's features and he found himself more at ease despite Caroline's constant presence. Thankfully he was saved from her sure interrogation due to the arrival of Bing Lee from the mansion's foyer door frame.

"Bing, what did the gardener say about my idea for a water feature?"

"Ah—what? Oh yes, he think it's a great idea." Bing scratched at his chin, unable to contain a stretching smile. "You know what else is a great idea?"

"Oh boy, here we go." His sister muttered, and Darcy felt Caroline shift behind him so she was now leaning on an elbow. "What is, dear brother?"

"A party. Here. At Netherfield!" Darcy craned his neck around so he could see both of the Lee's expressions. Bing was blithely as ever and Caroline eyes glowed with the prospect of a new project.

"A party…yes that _does _sound like fun. I saw this great stationary for invitations while shopping the other day…"

"I knew you'd be on board!"

"When were you thinking?"

"Next Saturday. That way—" Bing made his way around the couch so that Darcy no longer had to stretch his neck to be face to face. "—Darcy will be back from San Francisco in time!"

"Do I even get a say in this endeavor?" Darcy drawled, turning back to his laptop. "Or is team Lee already in full party planning preparation mode?"

"C'mon Darcy it'll be fun!"

"I think you and I have very different definitions of fun, Bing."

"Yeah, C'mon Darcy!" Caroline pushed his shoulder lightly, her voice syrupy. "I bet a certain someone would _love _to see you again." She leaned in close to his ear in a whisper. "In fact, I heard that she just can't stop talking about you. To everyone!" Darcy felt the color rise in his face and he grit his teeth in an attempt to stop the blush. Sure, Caroline and Jane conversed regularly due to Bing's attachment so it was surely possible that the topic of Lizzie would be brought up now and again. Had she shared the embarrassment of his attraction to the middle Bennet with the latter's sisters? And more intriguingly, was what Caroline hushingly and teasingly confessed the truth? His stomach knotted, partially furious with Caroline and partially due to the notion that Lizzie Bennet might have him on her mind, as he so often had she.

"Wait, I'm missing something—who'd love to see Darcy?" Bing blinked curiously between the two and Darcy clenched his fist on a couch cushion, staring daggers behind him at Caroline's coquettish expression as she smirked down at him. She scrunched her face at his surliness then lifted it up to meet Bing's awaiting eyes.

"No one. I was just teasing. Unless you _did_ have someone in mind, Darcy?"

"Not a soul." He said evenly, coldly—eyes fixed forward at his laptop screen. He had no intention to share these confused thoughts on Lizzie's appeal to him with Bing, or anyone for that matter until he sorted them out for his own understanding. Having Caroline make such brash and cheeky comments of such a nature was truly wearing thin on his patience with her childish behavior. He made a mental note to set her straight on such callow comments regarding her assumptions though while Bing stood there, chatting with her about arrangements he saw no opportunity to do so. He shut his laptop, perhaps a little to abruptly, and placed in on the coffee table and announced his intentions "I think I shall go for a ride." It was the only thing he could think to cool his tempter and stop his whirling mind from reflecting-nay obsessing-on Caroline's whispered words.

"Darcy—wait!" Bing caught him by the shoulder on his way to the door frame. "You'll go, to party I mean, right?" The look on his friend's face was like that of a cautious child asking for an allowance to spend. Darcy swallowed and gave his friend a short albeit promising nod.

"I'll be there."

_A/N: Hoo hoo getting to the good stuff! Time for some more interaction with some of our other favorite LBD characters...speaking of which who is YOUR favorite in the series? If you share perhaps I'll give them a little extra bit in the upcoming chapters. As Lydia would say it's party time! Be sure to review, comment, share, fav and follow it really does help keep me on track and on deadline haha! :D  
_


	20. Sisterly Senses

"Okay Mr. Darcy, the car will arrive tomorrow at one-thirty sharp with your luggage so as to ensure a stress free and leisure trip to the airport, giving you plenty of time to get situated for your flight. The morning meeting with the staff has been moved to nine-fifteen, and_ this_" Darcy's assistant placed a sheet of paper on his elegant work desk, sliding it across for his viewing. "Is the final financial spreadsheet budgeting the company picnic next month, it just needs your sign off."

"Ah, they decided to add another rock wall this year I see." Darcy scribbled his signature across the line before handing it back with a tight smile. "My father would be pleased." The late Mr. Darcy had been a bit of an outdoor enthusiast, something his son remembered with a saddened pang in his chest as he thought of the upcoming picnic. It was a tradition that his father loved in the simplicity of its merriment: charcoal barbecues, live local bands, circus performers, inflatables and games for the families that worked tirelessly under the Pemberley name. His eyes flickered over to a framed photograph on his desk which had belonged to his father (much like a majority of his office's belongings). The picture had been taken at the annual picnic many years ago—nine year old Darcy stood in an over-sized t-shirt and khakis holding the tiny nimble fingers of his sister who grinned beside him in pig tails and a tutu. His father stood behind with a hand on his shoulder and an arm around his wife whose smile and classically beautiful face existed more vividly in photographs than young Darcy's own memories. This thought was snapped from his mind as his attention was drawn back by the voice of his assistant.

"Yes, the event committee thought so too." His assistant—a young woman with bouncy tendrils of blonde hair and glass—clipped the financial sheet to the board in her hand, smiling back at him. "They always strive to plan something you and your predecessors would enjoy."

"Well they've done a fine job."

"I'll pass on the compliment! Anything else you need before I drop this off?"

"No, thank you, that will be all." With his assistant bowing out of the office, Darcy wheeled his chair around to scope out the view from the large glass window behind him. The San Francisco summer skyline looked white-hot beneath the afternoon sun and it was in his cool, central-air conditioned top-story office that he felt at ease to bury himself in his work. Though admittedly, Darcy sometimes found himself so deeply delved within his paperwork and projects that a part of him feared he would never emerge.

"Knock knock!" Darcy turned back in his chair, his blue eyes greeted with a pair of similar shade and shape though their lashes were thicker and curled to suit the young woman blinking back him. "William, I'm shocked! Were you just zoning?" Gigi Darcy laughed, stepping into the office with a bright grin. She had the same olive tones and dark features as her brother, but there was an easy-going nature to her that the elder sibling lacked, quite apparent due to his sudden frown and crinkled brow.

"Of course not."

"Oh I was just teasing; I know your mind is probably bursting with all the work you've been putting in these last few days. If we hadn't been eating our meals together I would have suspected you never left this place!" She plopped down on one of the leather seats adjacent to his desk, crossing her legs as she sifted through the prints in her hand. "Since we're on the topic of business, I volunteered to pass off our last three edits to the Domino application logos. We're almost at the final stage of design, isn't that so exciting?" As she handed the logos over for William's approval, he glanced at her vibrant expression and felt his lips curl pleasantly.

"It's good to see you so passionate about this project, Gigi."

"How could I not be? I have a feeling Domino is going to put Pemberly on the map! I mean, you know, more so 'on the map' for the mainstream consumer."

"That's what we're hoping for." Darcy pursed his lips, glancing between the designs in his hands before handing them back over to his sisters awaiting fingers. "Tell them that we're going ahead on number two—the logo is simple, cohesive and cutting edge just like the application."

"Perfect choice, that's the one I was gunning for too!"

"Great minds think alike." She beamed at his words, clutching the prints to her chest though making no move to rise and relay the news to the other graphic designers. Instead, she leaned forward and tilted her head as if beckoning him to reveal a secret.

"Soooo, are you excited?"

"Err, Yes, for Domino?"

"No, for Bing Lee's party this weekend! I'm so jealous, I wish I could go with you but my trainer would not be happy if I played hooky on our session."

"Oh, that. No, not particularly." Darcy coughed, tugging slightly at his shirt collar. He has purposely avoided thinking about the fact that his return to Netherfield also meant that he would be attending another one of Bing and Caroline's meticulously planned social soirees. "You know I'm not exactly the party aficionado."

"Oh, c'mon William! We've gone to dinner nearly every night you've been back in San Fran, we've talked of tennis and my friends, and the 'monotonous daily grind' of the business but you've barely shared what goes on in your life with the Lees!" Gigi put up a defiant pointing finger which she wagged in his direction. "And I detest you to say Bing and Caroline are the only souls you've encountered out there." She narrowed her gaze at him suspiciously, with a tiny smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. "There's something different about you William," Darcy watched as she stood, slowly making her way around his desk as she smoothly articulated her words "And I think I _finally _understand what it is."

"And what's that, Gigi?" Darcy humored her accusations, intrigued with his younger sister's perceptions—she always could read him better than he cared to admit, though what sprang from her mouth next caught him completely by surprise.

"_You've_ meet a woman!" She thrust her finger through the air like a jousting lance directed toward his chest and Darcy felt the color rise up his neck, burning and tingling with embarrassment. At her words a few heads outside his office that had been focused on their desktops and phones glanced their way, peeking in curiously at the juicy piece of gossip regarding their CEO. Darcy stood abruptly, stepping around Gigi and his desk so as to close his office door, all the while his younger sister sang with a gleeful voice "I knew it! I knew it! I knew!"

She had followed him to the door, her eyes sparkling and giddy though as Darcy whipped around he put firm hands on her shoulders to silence her continuous chant. "Please—Gigi—you're being ridiculous."

"Admit that you met someone!" She said, more hushed, though her face remained exuberant. "No wait, don't bother—your face says it all! Who is she? When can I meet her? How long have you known her? What's she like?"

"There isn't anyone to meet because I'm not seeing anyone." Darcy tried his best to keep a blank face and even tone, determined to throw her off the scent of this wild accusation. It was the truth in his words that allowed him to speak with sincerity—he was not seeing Lizzie so it would be preposterous for Gigi to meet her on any account. Gigi pursed her lips, eyeing him skeptically before another smile spread across her features and she nodded her head with understanding.

"Alright, William. When you're ready to share, you know I'll be eager to listen." She broke free of his grasp casually and picked up the prints which she had dropped on his desk in her excitement, tucking them under an arm. She then walked back over and lovingly adjusted his tie like a doting mother. "At any rate, have fun at the party." She pulled at his jacket to smooth it then placed an affection hand on his cheek. "With whomever you _are_ or aren't seeing." Gigi grinned up at him with a raise of her brow before excusing herself from the office. As the door clicked behind her, Darcy put a weary hand to his forehead, wishing that he could attribute his stress headache to a pile of Pemberly work rather than his conflicting feelings for a certain small town Bennet.

A/N: I've wanted to write a chapter featuring Gigi for a while now—she's such a spunky, clever girl and I think that she's someone who probably understands our dear Darcy the most. I felt that she would be extra perceptive to a change in his emotional demeanor though aware of his introverted tendencies enough to spare him for now. Don't worry Gigi; the truth will come out eventually as we've all seen with LBD. Remember to comment, fav, review, share and follow! Happy reading : )


	21. Sockslides and Secrecy

The party at Netherfeild left Darcy a bit unsettled in its elegant splendor, as if Bing were implementing ideas for a practice wedding reception. When he arrived at the estate the event was in full swing with the majority of the guests enjoying the mild summer night and mingling on the back patio. Darcy stepped onto the marble flooring from the sliding door off the lounge, squinting at the fairy lights that lit up the back garden and the swan ice sculpture situated in front of the newly added fountain. As he surveyed the patio, unable to put a name to any face his ears buzzed at the sound of a string quartet and the murmur of the party-goes who tinkled their wine glasses. A man of the hired wait staff offered him a glass of Pinot Grigio which he readily accepted, but as Darcy took a generous sip he noted the waiter's attire—a white dress shirt and black bowtie-which in the dimness of the approaching night looked identical to Darcy's cream button-up and navy blue neck-piece. He immediately went to fetch his blazer from the walk-in coat closet off of the foyer and as he sifted through the collection of hung coats an elongated shriek from down the hall startled him to his knees, accidentally pulling the cord to the light off with him. He clutched the sleeves of an Armani silk jacket out of fear, his heart pounding and face paling until he recognized the erratic laughter of Lydia Bennet just outside the closet door.

"Ohmygawd, sock slides are the BEST! And that was totally a new record I broke! Did you see that distance? _Man!_ I wish we could hang out here like, all the time!"

As Darcy picked himself off the floor he heard the muffled voice of Bing respond.

"The Bennet's are always welcome in my home."

"Bing you are the _coolest_!" Darcy finally located his blazer, an amazing feat in the darkness of the closet with only his cellphone as a source of light but he felt too awkward to turn on the overhead fearing that Bing and Lydia would notice and he'd be forced to explain why he was hiding in a closet rather enjoying the party. In truth he was highly embarrassed that his current wardrobe had a resemblance the wait staff's though he did not wish to admit it.

"Lydia, " He slid the blazer off the hanger as Jane's gentle voice interjected. "maybe you should put your shoes on so we can all go outside and talk with the other guests?"

"Good idea." Bing agreed with a low chuckle "I fear I may have become a neglectful host, though I'm sure Caroline's holding up outside just fine without me." As he heard the shuffle of footsteps beyond the closet, Darcy approached the door that kept him secretly within. He was waiting for their cluster to clear out so he could make a graceful escape. He was absentmindedly adjusting his cuff links when a fourth voice struck him where he stood like a lightning bolt.

"Oh hey, party in the stairway!" Lizzie Bennet joked in greeting and Darcy found himself staring at the crack beneath the door where the sliver of light shadowed at a new presence. He froze, rooted like tree and hidden from her eyes.

"Oh hey Lizzie, Charlotte! We were actually just heading back—"

"You guys totally missed it! I slide all the way down that hall, even past the bathroom! It was freaking awe-_some! _We should get some of that stuff, what was it—?" the faint sound of fingers snapping caused Darcy to lean his head in closer as he listened.

"I think she means wood polish." Jane provided with a laugh.

"Yes! Sis you're so right! Then we could do MEGA-SOCKSLIDEs all the tiiiimeeeee!" Lydia's voice became distant and Darcy imagined she had slid away.

"Oh Lydia, so easy amused…" Lizzie let out a sigh as she finished her words. "Anyway, Charlotte what were we over here for again?"

"Ah, my cellphone!"

"Oh right!" Darcy felt so foolish, trapped inside the closet listening in on their conversations like an eavesdropping child. However, announcing his presence now would make him out as such and he shifted on his feet, hoping that they would all return to the party sooner rather than later so he could save face.

"I'm waiting on an email, Lizzie and I are attempting to get passes for—ow—a, uh, convention!" Darcy frowned, suspecting Charlotte may have been nudged before being too explicit.

"Oh cool, what convention?" Bing's voice inquired with genuine interest. "There are a lot of them around this time of year."

"A uhh business convention!" Lizzie replied for her with enthusiasm, though she toned it down as she continued. "You know, networking and all that jazz."

"Interesting. You know, you really should try talking to Darcy about this sort of stuff, he's a very successful entrepreneur and could probably give you two some valuable advice for the job market." Darcy felt warmth in his chest from his friend's praise and he smiled to himself in the darkness.

"That's a great idea, Bing!" Jane enthused. "See Lizzie, you and Darcy probably have a lot in common once you get to know him." Darcy's ears perked at this statement and questions began whirling inside his cognitive mind. The way Jane phrased it sounded as if she and Lizzie had discussed him before, and with a flash of memory he heard Caroline's whisper.

_I heard that she just can't stop talking about you. To everyone!_

Darcy brushed his fingers over his chin, contemplating this new data supporting Caroline's earlier confession but before he could grasp onto any thought the voice of Bing Lee snatched his attention away.

"You know, I haven't seen Darcy all night…I texted him a few times and even tweeted at him, he said he'd be here…I think I'll call him to make sure everything's alright." A surge of panic seized William, knowing his phone was not set to silent. In his haste to quiet to the device, he pulled it out of his trouser pocket only to feel it slip from his hands and fall somewhere behind him on closet ground. His blood rushed in anxiety as he crouched onto the floor and felt around in the darkness. Only when the screen light up from Bing Lee's call did he recover the phone and attempt to silence it, pushing madly at the buttons only to succeed half-way through the cell blurting its first ring.

"Did you guys hear something?" Lizzie questioned and Darcy held an intake of breath, remaining crouched beside a wall of coats.

"Ah, voice mail." He heard Bing step away, his voice now an inaudible murmur through the door.

"What was that, Lizzie?"

"N-nothing. I guess." Darcy felt a wave of relief, picking himself off of the ground and dusting off his trousers as he stepped back toward the door. This was ridiculous. He should have excused himself ages ago, calmly explained that he felt a chill and a need for his suit jacket before returning to the party. This sounded quite logical and for a moment his mind entertained the idea but his pride kept him captive in the darkened coat closet. Surely the couldn't spend the entire evening in the foyer? Any moment now they would all return to the patio and he would be free from this painfully embarrassing predicament without having to explain.

"Did you guys get a chance to try the veal? It's so delicious." Jane was making small talk and Darcy suppressed a groan.

"No not yet." Charlotte admitted and he felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Jane would persuade them to head off to the caterer's table to sample the delicacies of the menu!

"Wait, no yes we did Char! That's that ossobuco dish, right? It _was _good." Perhaps not.

"Sorry 'bout that." Bing had returned. "I left him a message; I don't know where he could be."

"Maybe he's on the patio and we just didn't see him?" Jane's voice was hopeful and this time Darcy truly felt his own hopes rise—this was it. They were finally going to return to the party. "Or he could have arrived when we were with Lydia…oh no where did she run off to?"

"Good thinking, let's head back out and look for the both of them."

"You guys go on ahead; I'm going to keep helping Charlotte look for her phone." The sound of footsteps beyond the door made Darcy's stomach leap in victory.

"Wait, Bing before you go—" The footsteps paused and so did Darcy's breathing. "-where would the wait staff have taken my coat? I'm pretty sure I left my phone in the pocket." _Shit. _

"Oh right over here, in the coat closet—"with in a second the handle jingled and a burst of light spilled over William as the door swept open. "-Darcy! H-how long have you been in there?"

"I—" Darcy blinked between the surprised expressions—Bing looked troubled, Jane's mouth was parted, Charlotte's eyes widened and finally his gaze met with Lizzie's who merely blinked back at him. "I was cold." Was all he could manage in a firm voice before emerging from the dark little room. They all stepped aside as he briskly walked away from the scene, internally cursing himself as he dabbed the sweat from his brow. He turned down the hallway only to jump, once again, as Lydia Bennet shrieked gleefully from behind him, sliding on the polished hardwood in a bright pink dress and neon socks. This image struck him as the very reason for his humiliation and he bit into his tongue to keep a cool temper and a few choice words from escaping his lips.

_A/N: Not going to lie, I totally listened to Trapped in the Closet by R. Kelly while I wrote this. Poor Darcy can't catch a break it seems. However, I find his awkwardness so charming and hope you lovely readers are as entertained with his discomfort as I am haha. Remember to leave a comment/review, fav, follow and share!_


	22. Unlucky 22

_like the cake, this chapter is a lie. _

_A/N: Dear readers, I'm so sorry to disappoint such wonderful loyal readers but there will be no update this Monday. This weekend I moved a into a new apartment in my college town and did not account for the fact that my Internet would not be set up until later this week. I tried retyping the chapter on my smartphone but its proving to be very frustrating and with only a half hour to midnight I just don't see myself making deadline this week. I feel like a failure because my main goal for this fic was to force myself to keep deadline and I should have prepared better by uploading the document before I moved but C'est la vie. I'll try to get it up ASAP depending on when my roommate picks up the wifi router but he likes to take his sweet time with things. Don't worry I will hound him until he does, and it will definitely be set up by Thursday. _

_On a brighter note I recieved a message from the admin from jaffindex asking to put a link of my story on their site! You all should check out the site it's an extensive database of Jane Austen fanfiction. Isn't the Internet a beautiful place? I wish I could get this update out today so as to make a good impression on the site, but again that's life. I hope you all understand and thank you for being patient with me. please don't hate me and please do continue to support this fic!_


	23. Busy Lizzie

When Darcy return to the patio he polished off a glass of wine in just a few sips, attempting to numb the embarrassment of the coat closet incident. He quickly retrieved another from a passing waitor when Caroline approached him.

"Someone's in the festive mood." She greeted coyly, pressing her lips to his cheek like the gracious host she was masquerading as. Darcy's mouth twitched irritably at this and he made a noncommittal grunt in response. "Catching up for lost time I suppose?" Caroline turned so that they were both facing the other guests, watching the crowd as a pair. "The party started two hours ago, I didn't think it was in the Darcy code of conduct to arrive fashionably late."

"I had a staff meeting this morning and my flight was delayed." All of which was true, though Darcy had no intention of admitting to Caroline he had arrived earlier only to be detained by his own vanity in the coat closet for nearly 20 minutes.

"You made your staff come in on a Saturday? You must be so popular in the office." Darcy scoffed, annoyed by Caroline's ill attempts at humor at his expense.

"I have a lot of things to catch up with in the office and needed to meet with the team before I left. There was no other sensible option. Besides, I had it catered by a highly recommended French bakery to show my appreciation."

"Well I'm sure scones and doughy pastries soften the blow, then." Caroline smirked, taking a sip from her wine glass. Darcy glared at her from the corner of his eye, half prepared to return to his hiding spot in the closet so as to get away from her and the rest of this pointless evening. That was until Bing spotted him and made a b-line, pulling Jane in his wake by the hand. Both Caroline and Darcy stared at the entwined fingers as they arrive before them.

"Darcy! Sis! Enjoying the party?" Bing looked expectantly between the two before following the directions of their eyes and smiling back bashfully though keeping his affectionate gesture with Jane. Caroline blinked peevishly but was quick to recover her poise, casting her gaze toward the fountain.

"Of course, dear brother. Everything is going smoothly and everyone admires the Grecian water feature I had installed. I told you it was a sound investment." Darcy rolled his eyes as he took another generous sip from his glass, eager for the oncoming buzz.

"Right as always, Caroline." Bing replied then leaded toward Jane as he continued. "My sis prides herself on being an interior designer in her free time. She even has a degree in the field though only does a project when it fits her fancy i.e. won't interfere with her personal grooming." Caroline snarled quietly at her brothers comments, not amused.

"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" Jane gushed. "That's amazing! And here I just thought you had a natural eye for that sort of thing, I had no idea you actually had a degree!"

"Nothing about Caroline is natural." Darcy said with a smirk though winced painfully as Caroline sharply kicked her heel into his calve.

"I do photo spreads for design magazines, mostly. "

"That sounds fabulous, I'd love to see some of your work. "

"You're looking at it first hand! "Been released her hand to gesture at the surrounding back patio "She does some landscaping design as well, don't you sis? You should show Jane around, she's in the fashion design field so you both have a talent and interest for all things aesthetic. "

"A merchandiser is a bit of a stretch from a designer-"Caroline started in her condescending tone but a warning look from Bing made her shift to a lighter, friendlier vibe and she smiled at Jane. "But you're so right, we both have an eye for style." As she said the word, Caroline swept her eyes over Jane's emerald green ensemble. "Come with me, Jane. It'll be fun."

"Oh! Alright! "Jade took Caroline's arm and they departed on the tour, not before she gave Bing a shy, parting smile and half wave. He grinned and waved after them as Darcy finished off his drink and began to step toward the caterer, attempting to avoid being alone with his companion. To his dismay, Bing fell in step beside him.

"So Darcy, you going to explain why you were playing hide and seek in the coat closet a few minutes ago?"

"I thought I did. "Darcy said lightly, avoiding Bing's eyes. "I was cold, so I went to grab my coat. "

"Ha. Yeah okay, well then why were you in the dark? And why were you in there for so long?"

"The bulb blew out when I was inside." Darcy did his best to keep a cool exterior and even voice, hoping to mask the lie. "It took me a while to find my coat since all I had was a cell phone for light." The later part was not entirely untrue so his voice held an aspect of sincerity.

"Oh well why didn't you open the door to get the stairway light? And when I called you you didn't answer so I'm calling BS. You were hiding from the party! Admit it!"

"No, Bing honestly-"Darcy tried but he let out a weary breath, knowing it was useless. Though the party itself was not the reasoning behind his humiliating hide away among the coats, a strong part of him had desired to ditch out on the evening. "Alright, fine. I'll admit that my visit to Pemeberly was rather taxing and I wasn't looking forward to a social gathering tonight."

"Was that so hard to admit? Darcy you're my best friend, you can tell me anything! Even if you think my parties are lame." Bing chuckled and Darcy felt his lip curve up slightly.

"I didn't say that. By conventional standards I'd say your party is a success. You and Caroline did and excellent job on the patio." The compliment was well received by a beaming Bing and the two surveyed the outdoor party as night began to darken the sky to a velvety shade of periwinkle. As Darcy's eyes drank in the picturesque scenery he felt his breath catch suddenly as his gaze landed on the middle Miss Bennet in the distance. She was leaned against the the softly rushing fountain as the fairy lights of the surrounding gardens blurred like glowing stars around her. Her dress was lacy and the color of cream, and with her hair twisted up so elegantly Darcy imagined that she was as lovely as a new bride. This thought cause him to blush and he swallowed hard, jerking his head away from where she was resting. How ridiculous he felt, imagining such things though the sentiment left him feeling winded as he tried to steady his heart. He had certainly lusted after women before but never had the thought of marriage entertained his fantasies. He really was losing his grip on reality. What was Lizzie to him? Nothing more than a pretty face on a spirited woman. She was nothing, nothing! Then why did she affect him so?

"...and I said they should talk to you. Darcy? You listening?" Darcy twitched his head so to face Bing whom he realized had been addressing him.

"Er, sorry?"

"Charlotte and Lizzie are going to a business convention and I told them you could give them some pointers for approaching potential contacts and employers. Ah here's Charlotte now! Charlotte!" At the sound of her name Miss Lu turned with two drinks in her hand and a surprised expression.

"Yes?"

"Now that Darcy's joined the party, you and Lizzie should chat with him about your convention this summer!" Charlotte shifted her gaze uncertainly between the men and when she didn't reply Bing cleared his throat to clarify. "The business convention?"

"Oh! Oh yes, that's a wonderful idea...let me just grab Lizzie." She hurried off toward the fountain as Darcy turned to Bing for an explanation.

"Ah c'mon don't give me that look. You can mingle with a few people before you retire upstairs, it won't kill you." Bing ignored Darcy's pointed stare, looking toward a couple by the outdoor bar. "Oh look, it's Stu and his new wife! I've been meaning to ask them how their vacation went." Bing departed, leaving Darcy to stand in the middle of the patio feeling rather foolish as Charlotte pulled a harshly whispering Lizzie toward where he stood.

"Hello!" Charlotte greeted enthusiastically and Lizzie stopped her murmur to bare him a smile. Darcy's chin pushed to his neck as he tried to return the gesture though the unpleasantness from his nerves and discomfort made it out as a sneer. "So, Bing's been raving about your business success and thought you'd have some good networking advice for us?"

"So it would seem." Though Charlotte was the one pushing the conversation Darcy found his eyes drawn to Lizzie who seemed disinterested in the topic by the way her gaze was wondering toward the crowd. Wishing to seize her attention, he said "Why don't you tell me a bit more about this convention?" She flicked her eyes to him, a sense of urgency overcoming her features. This time, a genuine smile graced the corners of Darcy's lips-she was hiding something and he felt a pinch of joy seeing that he could make her just as nervous as he felt when she was near.

"It's a convention! For business and uh business related things." Darcy felt a chuckle bubble inside him but he suppressed the urge. The wasn't the first time Lizzie made him want to laugh freely, her humor so fresh and clever compared to the dry mockery he was used to with Caroline.

"Yes, I figured as much."

"It's a convention our school put together featuring potential employers looking for summer interns." Charlotte interjected with earnestly, not skipping a beat in her description.

"Right! Charlotte is absolutely correct." Lizzie pointed her finger to her friend with enthusiasm.

"So this is a job fair of sorts?" Perhaps it was the matter of subject or the fact that Lizzie seemed rather frazzled instead of he, but Darcy felt suddenly at ease, confident even about the conversation. Both women nodded in response to his question so he continued. "Well that's general enough. I suppose I could give you more sound advice if I knew what types of jobs you two would be applying for."

"Well..." Lizzie started, glancing toward Charlotte who urged her with a nod. "I know I want to work with a media company with strong moral values whose main goal is to disseminate information in a way that is accurate and trustworthy." Darcy raised his brow.

"How...saintly of you." Lizzie scoffed at his comment rolling her eyes away before responding.

"This is exactly what's wrong with society! It shouldnt be considered saintly that my main priorty when it comes to working in the media is to be proud to associate with the company I'm working for. So often in this field you see networks and other mediums just trying to sell stories no matter how much they have to twist and tamper the original source. It's sickening, and what's even worse is that the general public eats it up. No matter how biased or unresearched or skewed the information is, people will read something or hear something and think they're experts without bothering to follow up on sources or other perspectives. I'd at least like to align myself with a company that intends to be straightforward and honest with what they do rather than feed into a flawed system." When Lizzie finished her rant her eyes caught with Darcy's who had been captivated by her candor and unapologetic opinions. She blinked uncertainly back at him before shifting away, tucking a loose strand of hair behind an ear as she remembered where she was and who she was talking to. Sensing her friend's self consciousness, Charlotte spoke up intending to lighten the mood.

"What's it your always saying Lizzie? Change the culture, save the world?" Her joke was lost as the color rushed to Lizzie's cheeks making them glow even in the dim light of the evening. What an incredible woman she was, Darcy mused, so avid and sure of her own perceptions and opinions. She was intelligent and sophisticated, and all the feelings he had attempted to bury came rushing to the surface. It was in this moment that Darcy realized he didn't just wish to bed her, to release this obsessive tension he felt his mind wander to her feminine physic and pretty face. He wanted her, every aspect of her character and charm had him mesmerized though he still knew little of who she was. With every new discovery he felt himself become more enthralled, like she was awakening a part of him that remained dormant to even his own consciousness.

"Heh, yeah something like that." Lizzie took a sip of wine, finishing off her glass. "Well , I think I'll grab another drink and hey I saw Ellen was here we should ask her about the honey moon I bet it was a dream." As she spoke her words were rushed, linking her arm through Charlotte's. "Thanks for the chat Darcy, it's been er yeah see ya!"

"ah, Lizzie!" Charlotte protested as Lizzie began dragging her off.

"Lizzie, wait." Darcy took a step after her and she paused, both her and Charlotte glancing to him with questioning looks. Darcy cleared his throat, a thousand words and confessions itching to escape his lips. However, when he found his voice this was all that he could think muster. "Your values are similar to my company's." Her eyes narrowed as if searching for meaning in his words and after a moment she simply nodded, the corners of mouth curling weakly though her brow remained furrowed before she turned and walked on, pulling Charlotte with her and leaving Darcy behind. He watched her go with a sense of longing. He wished she would have stayed with him, continued to reveal every thought that entered her mind with him as if she were pealing off layers of clothes. Though the prospect of what lay beneath her dress had him yearning, he found himself far more enchanted by her humor, her grace, her passions, her words. If only he could express how she was affecting him, entrancing him. Perhaps then he could make her his.

a/n: Hey guys! This chapter's extra long to make up for missing last Monday's update. Thanks everyone for being so understanding, I'm so happy to have Internet again! Fun fact, I'm a communications major like Lizzie so I could certainly relate to the career struggles she has through out the diaries which I think reveal a lot about her character, especially as a modern day Elizabeth Bennet. Hope you liked this chapter remember to review, favorite, follow and share!


	24. Reflections

Now that Darcy had concluded that his attraction to Lizzie had manifested into something more than mere infatuation, he was unsure how to approach her or the situation. So instead he headed toward the outdoor fountain, stepping around clusters of tipsy party- goers as he walked to the ornate structure. His eyes swept over the swirling marble with disinterest before peering into the rippling waters that pooled in its basin, his mind's eye reflecting images of his past where his own reflection ought to have stood.

Instead of a sharply dressed young man, well-groomed and dignified, an impossibly lanky teenaged boy stared back at Darcy, looking terribly uncomfortable in a maroon uniform with a stiched crest upon his pocket reading Derbyshire Academy. Darcy nearly cringed at the memory of his boyhood spent in at the single gender insitute, knowing that part of his discomfort around women like Lizzie was due to his sparse interaction with the opposite sex during adolescence. A ripple in the water caused another figure to appear beside young Darcy, another boy with an easy smile and tuffs of golden blonde hair sticking out from underneath a backwards cap: George Wickham. Though the usual thought of the boorish cad would have made Darcy's blood boil, this image only made his frown deepen and a hidden sadness to clench upon his heart.

Darcy thought back to how in their youth George had been the only child of the Darcy family house keeper. Since his mother was a single parent, William's father allowed George to spend afternoons at their estate while his mother finished her work, during which he made a friend of young William to pass the time. Though the pair was quite an odd one, growing up together had created a bond between the two boys who had in their own sense been rather lonely. There had been many fond memories and shared experiences between the lads over the years and Darcy stared down at the conjured image in the water with a lingering sorrow.

A trickling splash from the center spout caused another pair of figures to appear beyond the boys. Two teenage girls blossomed like flowers in the water, their blonde hair swishing in the flow of the fountain. George nudged the image of young William as the real Darcy watched the boys step over to the girls for a chat. They were faceless young women, only their painted lips remained unblurred in their reflections. Darcy remembered them as public school friends of George's whom the later had pressured William into getting physical with, a fleeting pleasure that left young Darcy feeling rather empty inside.

The colors of the girls and George swirled together around Darcy's head until they dissipated into nothingness. Only Darcy's reflection remained, this time in a Harvard sweater looking much similar to the Darcy of realty though his eyes were more bloodshot and skin rather pale. The image of a snake slithered through the water from the fountain spout, coiling around Darcy before the image of a woman morphed from the animal draped around his shoulders. She too was faceless with only smirking lips, her hair and skin shifting every time he blinked his eyes. Seductresses, scheming for Darcy's title and net worth once they learned of his last name and the wealth and status that came along with it. Flirtation had never been something Darcy needed to bother with once he had grown into a young man and yet as the faceless woman removed her sultry posture from around Darcy's reflection she morphed again, turning away from him as her features took on the shape of Lizzie Bennet. As his reflection took a step towards her image she vanished and the Darcy in the basin's troubled expression stared back at William, this time dressed in his suit jacket and bowtie to mirror the man who was beginning to see himself more sharply, even as the glassy water quivered beneath his gaze.

a/n: Decided to try something a little different with this chapter. Love it? Hate it? Either way let me know!


	25. Corridor Conversations

As Darcy turned away from the water his eyes scanned the patio for Lizzie. To his surprise he found she was standing alone by the string quartet, quietly listening to their symphony. His legs moved on their own accord toward her, determined to make the most of the opportunity to speak with her in private, wishing to try his attempts at intimate conversation. He was nearly before her, hand already outstretched to tap her shoulder when Lydia Bennet appeared beside her sister, tugging at Lizzie's sleeve in distress. Darcy quickly retreated his arm and turned slightly as if he were debating about which appetizers to sample on a nearby table, ears burning red. He busied his hands by spreading caviar on a cracker, though he couldn't help but overhear the sisters' conversation.

"Lizzie, Lizzie-!"

"Hey I see you're wearing heels again. Bored with sock slides already?"

"Yes, I mean, no, I mean, well I was sliding around the living room and—"

"Hello Ladies." Caroline's syrupy sweet hostess voice interrupted and Darcy tilted his gaze so he could see the women in his peripheral. "Having a good evening I hope?"

"Uh yes, it's lovely—"

"Totally, totally!" Lydia's voice had a sense of strained happiness that Darcy found perplexing as he took a bite of his appetizer, continuing to listen in. "So fun! Oh lookie a cute waiter, and he has fresh drinks! That's my kind of man!" Lydia giggled and departed from the conversation in a flash while Lizzie called after her.

"Sis, pace yourself!" She sighed. "_Please?_"

"Speaking of siblings, have you seen my brother anywhere? He's supposed to be helping me mingle around our guests but he keeps disappearing on me."

"Uh yes, he's by the ice sculpture with my sister, just over there." Darcy tipped his chin up to look toward the display at her words and sure enough Bing and Jane were gazing up at the heart-shaped necks of the ice swans, huddled closely to signify their intimacy.

"If you'll excuse me." Darcy watched from the corner of his eye as Caroline hurried across the patio in her stilettos and midnight-blue cocktail dress. Although he didn't get a chance to catch her expression he knew from the tone of her voice that she was not pleased. Darcy pat a napkin to his mouth, attempting to stall as he summoned his courage to talk with Lizzie who remained by the musicians after Caroline departed. He knew that she would not linger alone for long and needed to act fast if he wished to chat with her. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to settle his nerves, turning to greet her only to blink foolishly at an empty space where she had once stood. His eyes darted frantically, locating her form sliding the lounge door open and stepping inside. He followed in a long stride, determined that she would not get away from him again.

When he entered the house, his head jerked about as his eyes searched for Lizzie. His mouth sneered reprovingly as his gaze caught sight of a young couple tangled up in each other on a love-seat, their lips smacking together loudly in their embrace. He started walking toward the foyer door frame but only made it part way as his eyes were drawn to the back hall where Lizzie stood in her white eyelet dress, fidgeting with a cellphone and leaning against the wall. Darcy adjusted his suit jacket and smoothed a hand over the left side of his head before approaching.

"Good evening Lizzie Bennet."

"Oh!" Her head snapped up and she clutched her phone to her breast in surprise before tossing it in her small beaded purse as he stood beside her. "Er, good evening."

"Are you—" He coughed nervously "—enjoying the party?"

"Oh, um yes." Her lips twitched up in a smile for him briefly but her eyes quickly shifted away, clasping her hands together loosely. She continued to lean, her face apparent with disinterest in exchanging pleasantries with him. He knew if he wished to capture her attention he would need to think of a more stimulating conversation topic.

"So, um…I've been reading Tolstoy." She glanced at him with a questioning brow and her locking eyes on his sending a jolt through Darcy.

"Oh?"

"Yes, Anna Karenina. " He felt himself inch closer as he said the title, knowing that he had sparked her interest. Suddenly, in the dimness of the corridor, a full blown discussion broke out about the piece of literature and Darcy felt himself studying Lizzie's gestures of passion as she spoke—the brightness of her eyes, the way her lips formed every beautifully eloquent word-wishing to mesmerize every precious moment of their conversation of shared intellect. When their discussion lulled a bit, Lizzie's eyes shifted away but to his surprise she kept up the topic as if she too did not wish for their exchange to end.

"Although Tolstoy was a realist, I always felt as if his understanding of love and romance was exquisite. It's a shame that his works aren't as studied and celebrated in the traditional school systems like the written works of Shakespeare." She glanced back at Darcy and he felt the color glow in his cheeks pleasantly as the shadow of a smile formed at the corners of her mouth. She was talking of love and romance—did she too felt their own budding connection? "Did you know Tolstoy thought Shakespeare to be a poor dramatist?" Her eyes seemed to sparkle, and Darcy nearly stuttered when he realized she was waiting for his response.

"Er, yes, if I'm not mistaken I believe he even wrote a critical essay on his vehement opinions of the matter." She chuckled lightly at his words, nodding.

"You are correct." This time she actually was smiling towards him, and although Darcy did not wish for their conversation to end he felt as if he should seize this moment in an attempt at flirtation. He felt his eyes drawn by a chain down her neck to a beautifully simple heart-shaped pendant of silver and, once realizing the closeness of their proximity did something he would not have dared on an average occasion but the soft lightening and shimmer in Lizzie's eyes made him feel brave. On this impulse, his finger reached out and lifted beneath the chain, running it lightly along her bare collar. When he spoke, his voice was nearly a whisper.

"How is it that you know so much, about so much, Lizzie Bennet?" It wasn't the most eloquent phrasing but the delivery of his words had the right affect. Lizzie merely looked up at him as if she was frozen by his gentle touch and Darcy yearned to close the short distance between them with a kiss. He felt his neck lean down towards her slowly, his skin buzzing pleasantly especially from his fingertips which continued to caress the chain up towards her neck. His heart beat on anxiously, though with a quiet steadiness that gave him courage. As he felt himself draw nearer there was an unmistakable sharp intake of breath from behind them.

"What's going on here?" Caroline's voice felt like a slap to Darcy's face and his neck snap around to see her eyes staring daggers in their direction at the end of the hall. At her call, Lizzie jerked herself away from William, her own fingers clutching her necklace and a frown creasing her face in discomfort.

"Oh hello, Caroline. I'm just, er, waiting for the bathroom." She gestured to the closed door she was standing beside and Darcy's own brow furrowed in its direction. She had slipped away from him, her defenses now alert, and Darcy felt himself cursing the clipping of heels that walked towards them on the hardwood belonging to Caroline.

"Of course. You know Lizzie, I have a bathroom upstairs that you're welcome to use. Let me show you where it is."

"Oh, that would be great!" Caroline linked her arms around Lizzie's and smiled at the girl who returned the gesture though in what looked to be a slightly forced manner to Darcy. As Caroline pulled her away, Lizzie did not so much as glance in his direction though Caroline did with pointed look that deepened Darcy's scowl. Once they were out of the hall, their voices a distant chatter, Darcy leaned himself against the wall. His head rose to the ceiling and fists clenching at his sides as his eyes closed, utterly defeated. How he wished he could return to the moment only a few seconds previous, sighing as his body slackened while the memory played over endlessly in the vision of his mind.

_A/n: I always wondered what the significance was of Lizzie's favorite necklace being found in Caroline's bathroom was, and after this chapter I'm sure you all can fill in the blanks. Hope you enjoyed the tension, remember to review, favorite, follow and share!_


	26. A Bennet Surprise

Darcy's knuckle found the tear duct of his eyes, wiping the sleep dust out as he rolled himself upright in bed, smacking his lips unpleasantly due to the dryness in his mouth. As he blinked wearily at the gray light peeking out from his closed blinds the memory of Bing's party formed in his mind like particles of matter. There was wine and the joyous tune of a violin or two, laughter and the sparkle of white light in the evening's darkening sky. All these images hazed in and out of his mind like a distant dream, the only vivid thought a silver chain beneath his finger and the pendant of a heart. As his index moved slowly along warm flesh, the eyes of Lizzie Bennet frozen in time pierced through the murkiness and like a crack in a dam the entire evening flooded into his mind's eye. A rush of emotions surged through his body and he clutched a disparaged hand to his hair, skewing it even more than a night's rest allowed. Had he truly acted so boldly? To caress her neck with no invitation, lean forth with the intention of a kiss…the mere thought made him smack his face in shameful embarrassment. It was not enough that he had abashed himself with the coat closet ordeal; to defame his own reputation with such ungentlemanly behavior…he pulled his hand down his face and groaned, swearing off wine for at least a few days as a self-inflicted punishment.

Darcy, with great effort, pulled himself from bed. He groggily found his sleeper robe off a handle in his closet and stepped into a pair of matching blue slippers, not eager to dress like it were any other morning. He imagined water with lemon, the sound of ice tinkling inside a pitcher echoing in his mind as he pulled open his bedroom door and glared at the daylight that filled the stairwell from a large rounded glass window above the main entrance. He shuffled down the stairs, his bare tan chest slightly exposed beneath his robe and as he walked listlessly through the dining hall and into the sterile white Netherfield kitchen. He froze in the door-frame at the sight of three pairs of eyes.

"Morning Darcy," Bing greeted cheerfully, taking a bite of his toast and marmalade then wiping the crumbs with his wrist. "Aren't you in a rare state today!" Beside him Jane Bennet tittered, dressed in an over-sized zip-up of Bing's and what looked to be borrowed track pants of Caroline's. It was her presence that had Darcy so struck that he continued to stand and stare with a serious expression as if she were an intruder rather than a welcomed guest. Caroline breezed past him in a cherry blossom silk robe and purposefully messy bun, yawning with her coffee mug in hand.

"It's nice to see that even William Darcy has his days off from being immaculately dressed at breakfast." She said airily, smirking over at him as she pressed a few buttons on their keurig machine. It was Caroline's teasing remark that released him from his statuesque tension and he hastily adjusted his robe so as to hide his defined abdomen, frowning deeply as he pulled a chair out at the breakfast table across from Bing. He poured himself a glass of water before speaking.

"It's been a tiring week." Was his only explanation, taking a sip of his drink. His eyes lifted to see Jane was peeking at him curiously as she buttered a scone and his eyes crinkled in discomfort, forcing his lip to curve up. "Good morning, Jane. It's a surprise to see you at Netherfield this early. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company at our breakfast table?" She blushed at his question, glancing to Bing who smiled into his plate before answering for her.

"She actually stayed the night, Darc." Darcy was mid-bite of a piece of toast with jam and although this confession shouldn't have surprised him—he was a perceptive man and her attire accounted for that assumption—he still felt a sense of shock at the admittance as he slowly finished his bite which seemed to crunch louder than his own thoughts. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin to delay his response, though the silence was painstakingly awkward.

"Oh?" He tried to keep his voice light and interested. To be honest with himself, part of Darcy had started to believe in Jane's wholesome act, that she was truly a genuine character with pure intent for Bing's heart. Though he certainly had no qualms with a woman and man taking their relationship to a physical level, he had seen Jane's manipulation in action with Lydia and his heart clenched in a seizing fear that her whole persona was a truly just an innocent mask hiding the serpent beneath.

"Oh, Darcy, it's nothing like that!" Jane stated in a rush at his expression, her cheeks burning scarlet. "Bing and I just got so caught up in conversation—" She glanced to him and he smiled wider as her hand cupped his on the table "—that we lost track of time." Caroline returned to the table taking a sip from her mug and shifting her eyes between the couple with a pleased expression that only a scholar of her many false moods such as Darcy could decipher for its true intent.

"Oh you lovebirds are so…precious." She struggled coming up with an appropriate word and took a large gulp of her coffee to remove any distaste from her mouth. "Don't you agree, Darcy?" She nudged him with her elbow and he consented with a noncommittal grunt, opening the Sunday paper the maid had left for him on the table.

"You know, I never knew how beautiful the sunrise was from my balcony before this morning." Bing's voice softened as he turned to Jane, continuing. "It really is something special."

"You know," Caroline stood up abruptly, placing her mug on the table with an audible clank. "I really should consult the maid on a damage plan for last night eventful evening. Have you all seen the patio? It's a disaster. And my new lamp from the lounge is no longer on the end table near the jade tree. I will have to ask one of the servers if they relocated it for the party, so if you'll excuse me." She pivoted on her slippered foot and departed from the scene without another word.

"Alright, bye—" Bing waved "—Sis." He finished lamely, shaking his head towards Jane who giggled in response. Darcy, too, had had enough of the gooey-eyed back and forth his best friend had with Miss Jane but his politeness kept him rooted to the table knowing he couldn't escape so suddenly after Caroline. So instead he turned a page of his newspaper, letting a breath out through his nostrils when a sudden shriek from the other room jolted them all from their seats. Caroline wailed as if she were being attacked by a home intruder so all three of them dashed from the breakfast nook to the lounge where she continued to scream bloody murder over a shattered glass mess beside the pushed aside love-seat.

"Sis—sis—sis!" Bing seized her shoulders to calm her but she shook him off, finishing her hysterical high-pitched noise. When she quieted, Caroline was breathing heavy and so unlike the coolly collected woman she normally embodied that Darcy took a step back in slight fear.

"MY—MURANO—LAMP!" She stomped her foot with each articulated shout, her face reddening with fury. "Who could have done this?!"

"Caroline, calm down it, was probably an accident…"Bing reasoned in his careful and sensitive voice as she began to pace the hardwood in her pink fuzzy slippers, anger not relenting.

"So _what_? If it was, they should have fessed up to their 'little accident' and paid me the two thousand dollars the lamp cost me. And that's not even including the shipping fees from Italy!"

Darcy glanced over to see Jane's lip tremble slightly, brow deeply furrowed and a sudden memory from the previous evening flashed before his eyes—Lydia Bennet gliding in her neon socks through the halls, then urgently plucking at Lizzie's sleeve on the patio. He glanced back at the glass fragments on the floor then to the love-seat which was, to his memory, in an odd location in the middle of the lounge where he had caught sight of an intimate couple. This normally would not have occurred had it been pressed against the far wall like usual. Everything clicked suddenly and Darcy felt his fist clench in his robe pocket. Lydia was the culprit, halfheartedly hiding the shattered lamp by pulling the love-seat over the mess and judging by Jane's reaction she must know this to be true though neither sister had the decency to confess.

He remembered some off-hand remarks and jokes drunken Lydia had made during their night at Carter's—how the Bennet family was financially distraught though he had thought she was just playing, claiming she was poor so a few boys would buy her next few drinks. Even so, the Lees were not a financially petty sort despite Caroline's tantrum and would have forgiven her for breaking the expensive lamp and not insisted they pay a cent. It was the act of remaining silent that insulted Caroline so deeply, to destroy her valuables without so much of an apology caused Darcy to strongly sympathize with her behavior, despite how extreme. He shot Jane a dark look which caused her to recoil slightly, but her expression took on that of innocent confusion which Darcy now knew for certain to be a pretense. Bing was comforting Caroline who was now in furious tears and Jane put a tentative hand on her shoulder, though even she seemed to sense the gesture was out of place. It made Darcy sick to watch her act so sweetly when all she needed to do was explain what happened to the Lees, to be honest with them. Deceit was unforgivable in Darcy's moral opinion and so as she excused herself without revealing the truth of the incident Darcy realized that Jane's true character had been revealed to him.

He took minor comfort in the notion that Bing remained by his sister's side rather than giving Jane a proper goodbye, sensing that his friend's loyalty had not been completely bewitched by Jane Bennet. As the front door clicked behind her, Darcy walked up the spiral stair and sat himself on the very top step to regard the large circular window and the distant neighborhood beyond the glass and Netherfield. Somewhere among the trees and white picket fences stood the Bennet abode, where he picture Lizzie might still be sleeping in the morning light of her bedroom. Try as he might, he could not picture what that room held besides a couple of books she had mentioned, assuming they probably sat proudly on a shelf. A small sense of panic washed over him as he wondered if she had known about the lamp shattering though that fear was quickly doused. She was a woman of candor and a part of him knew that had she even the slightest inkling of what happened she would march Lydia over immediately to make a heart-felt apology. He had no doubt if Lydia had finished confessing the crime to her at the party that Lizzie would have made her broadcast the event to the entire guest list so Lydia would truly feel the reprimands of her irresponsibility. Darcy smirked at this thought, though it slipped off his face rather quickly. Lydia was still just a child, so immature and unworldly that he really couldn't mentally berate her completely for the mess-but Jane should know better, and this sentiment hardened in his gut when he thought how a woman so unsuitable had nearly successfully stolen the heart of his best friend.

_A/N: Adding some drama! This is my take on trying to justify Darcy's feelings toward the other Bennets besides Lizzie when he confesses his love and opinions in that fated video at Collins and Collins. This chapter is a combination based on episode 23 and a twitter convo between Bing and Caroline title 'Wildebeast'. Caroline's so immature in her own right that I think she would definitely tweet that her lamp was shattered just to remind Bing how upset it made her. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, be sure to review, favorite, follow, share and all that jazz!_


	27. A Welcome Twist

_A/N: Dear readers, my document for last Thursday's update was corrupt from my flash drive so some of you are having trouble reading it (I guess ejecting those things correctly is mandatory...oops). I was out of town for the weekend so I apologize I didn't notice until now! I retyped it through the website so I hope it works this time! Please send me a message if you are still having issues getting it to appear._

Netherfield was strangely quiet as Darcy arrived Thursday mid-morning through the main door, the jingling of his keys the only sound that penetrated the silence. He debated about calling out as he ascended the spiraling staircase but decided against it, hoping to take advantage of the peacefulness to get some work done in the privacy of his room. Besides the soft tapping of his fingers against a keyboard there was no noise or distraction to divert Darcy, though an odd loneliness began to creep over him as he worked steadily through the early afternoon. Just as Darcy began to feel a sense of worry over the quietness of the day, the distant sound of the main door opening along with Bing and Caroline's distinct voices carried upstairs and through the small space of his slightly ajar bedroom door. A small part of him urged to stand up and greet the siblings like an eager child awaiting the return of his parents but he shook the notion from his mind, turning back to his laptop upon the writing desk. His shoulders did relax, however, though he wasn't quite sure when or why they had tensed.

As Darcy continued to type, he heard the heavy footfalls of Bing climb the staircase and his friend's voice call down to his sister even as he walked up the stairs.

"I'm going to put the yellow ones in the purple guest room and the pink ones in the green!" Darcy's ears perked slightly, and he could hear Caroline shout a response though it was muted as if she were calling from the dining hall or the lounge. Bing's footsteps grew louder-he was at the landing now—and with Darcy's bedroom one of the first off the stairway he knew that Bing would notice his return. It only took a few predictable seconds for Bing's steps to pause and his voice to call to William.

"Darcy! You're back! How was Chicago? Nose to the grindstone already I see." Darcy swiveled in his work chair to see Bing was grinning at him from the doorframe, in his arms a box filled with small potted flowers.

"Yes," Darcy started, frowning at the plants in Bing's hands curiously. His friend caught on to his expression quickly, glancing from his eyes to the flowers then back again.

"Oh, one sec I told Caroline I'd put these in the guest rooms but then I want to hear about Chicago, I bet the fireworks were great from the city skyline." Darcy watched as Bing excused himself, an unsettling feeling bubbling in his stomach as he watched him go. Flowers for the guest rooms…was Netherfield expecting company? Darcy turned back to his computer but the letters began to haze on screen, unable to concentrate with this small tidbit of information lingering in his mind. Instead of returning to work he fiddled with his cellphone until Bing's return.

"Okay I'm back!" Bing pushed the door open in its entirety, seizing Darcy's attention once again. As he stepped inside the bedroom he scratched his chin as if to delay an inevitable conversation. "Before we talk about your trip, I'd like to run something by you."

"Alright." Darcy replied cautiously as Bing perched himself on the foot of his bed.

"Well…ah, how do I…?" Bing ran his hands nervously over his knees which caused Darcy's frown to deepen. What could possibly be on his friend's mind? "Darcy, you like Jane, right?" Of all the words and questions to come out of Bing's mouth, these felt sudden and unexpected. Jane, what about Jane? Judging from Bing's posture and fidgeting he was planning to propose something and with a sinking heart Darcy knew he would not like whatever it was. So in an effort to remain ignorant so as to keep his cool temperament he decided to play daft in response.

"Come again?"

"Ah, wait, let me try again." Bing ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "The Bennets are remodeling their house." Darcy nodded curtly to signify he understood though he was not quite grasping what Bing was trying to relay. "Jane and her sisters are supposed to stay at their cousin's house, which is a few towns over and really inconvenient for Jane since it's in the opposite direction of her job. And well, Netherfield has so much space, I thought…." Bing needn't continue, his intention clear, and his words became a buzz in Darcy's head. Having Jane move into Netherfield was an outrageously serious step for their otherwise causal relationship. Though he saw the signs of their growing intimacy, Darcy had secretly been wishing that Jane was just a girl to pass the time with for Bing, just a pretty face and easy smile. This suggestion clarified that Bing's affections for Jane were far beyond that.

"…so that way she doesn't have to be so far from work and from...me." As Bing finished he cheeks filled with color and Darcy watched as he rubbed his neck sheepishly. "So what do you say, Darcy? This is your home too so I wanted to make sure you were alright with it." Darcy remained silent; Bing's hopeful eyes remained upon him as he contemplated the best way to express to his friend that he didn't think having Jane move in with them was good idea. Before he could open his mouth to respond, however, Caroline appeared in the doorway.

"Bing I texted and called you, you are so terrible with your phone sometimes." She glanced between Darcy and Bing before leaning against the frame with a smirk. "Oh, I apologize, I didn't realize you two were having a_ moment_. You do realize we have light dimmers to better set the mood?" She toggled a little switch besides the door making the lights soften then brighten again with a chuckle.

"What's up sis?"

"The cleaners are here, they want to know which rooms our guests will be staying in."

"Guests?" The plural noun caused Darcy to turn back to Bing for an explanation though Caroline clapped her hands together with a gleeful gasp.

"Oh I see! You were just telling Darcy about our soon-to-be house guests." Her voice relished in delight that she had interrupted the scene so she could witness Darcy's reaction. "Can you believe Jane and Lizzie will be spending two whole weeks in our humble abode?"

"Lizzie as in Lizzie Bennet?" Darcy felt dazed, his vision glazing over as his mind tried to grasp onto the thought of her sleeping only one room away from his for two weeks straight.

"Yes, you see their cousin's house is apparently really small so it makes more sense for Lizzie to stay here too. We have the space, and I'm sure they'll both feel more comfortable having each other around."

"As you always say, Bing, the more the merrier!" Darcy glared at Caroline, knowing that her faux happiness may fool Bing but something more sinister was hidden behind her smiles.

"So what do you say, Darcy?" Bing repeated his earlier phrasing, turning to face him again. "Are you cool with having some house guests for a few weeks?" His eyes were expectant and Darcy opened his mouth to respond but the burning protest within him had fizzled slightly. Although he certainly wasn't keen on the idea of constantly witnessing Bing's admiration for Jane first hand at least it would give him an excuse to be near Lizzie but even that thought made him feel uneasy. However, Netherfield was first and foremost Bing's estate so Darcy let out a breath, shifting his eyes back to his laptop as he answered.

"Who am I to stop a decision that's already been set in motion? This is your house, Bing, after all, so if you wish to host guests by all means…"

"Great!" Bing popped off the bed, already bounding for the door when he paused and looked back toward Darcy uncertainly. "Are you sure? Cause I can tell them—"

"Bing," Caroline interrupted, placing her hands on his shoulder and steering him toward the hallway. "Darcy agreed to it; don't second guess his answer when there are cleaners in the foyer waiting for your input."

"Oh right, I forgot they arrived!" Once Bing left the scene to direct the help Caroline sauntered over and took his place on the foot of Darcy's bed, sprawling out with a casual sigh which William ignored.

"What an interesting plot twist, don't you agree? Looks like we'll be welcoming the elder Bennet sisters into our home very soon."

"Why do you sound so pleased?" Darcy wished he could keep his tone bland but an edge of suspicious rang into his words. "I thought you were bored with watching your brother fawn over Jane."

"Oh, I'll admit at first I was hesitant on the idea." Caroline lifted her hand above her eyes, examining her manicure as she spoke. "But then I thought how this will be such a fun learning experience. Aren't you curious about how Jane and Lizzie spend their free time? You know, their hobbies, their interests? I hear Lizzie's really into auto-visual stuff." Darcy twisted his chair around slowly, narrowing his eyes as he caught sight of the cheeky grin Caroline was directing toward him.

"Why the sudden interest, Caroline?"

"It's not sudden. It's only natural that I should want to get to know them better, Darcy. They're our new _friends_ after all." Darcy scoffed but she continued as she pulled herself off the bed and stretched her lean figure for his eyes. "Besides, weren't you the one harboring a crush for Lizzie Bennet a few weeks back? This should be exciting for you." She turned and placed her hands on each arm rest of his swivel chair, leaning close to Darcy's lips and causing his neck to perspire at the suddenness of her proximity. Her eyes were bright with mischief as they locked onto his and she whispered in a low, syrupy voice "Now's your chance to drive her _wild_." She hovered there for a moment, eyes shifting momentarily to his mouth before her own lips simpered and she pulled away with a laugh. "Oh Darcy, you really are fun to tease." Was her parting remark as she sashayed out of his room without a glance back. Darcy swallowed hard, troubled by Caroline's behavior knowing in his gut that she was up to something wicked.

_A/N: Netherfield's about to get a little more "lived in". This chapter is based off the twitter conversation Cleaners. Be sure to review, favorite, share and follow for next update Chapter 28: Hello House Guests. Let the awkwardness, the sexual tension and the plotting commence!_


	28. Hello House Guests

"Are you sure they're coming today, Bing?"

"Yep! Jane said they just had to help move some furniture before the contractors arrived this afternoon then they'd be over."

"Well, you said they were coming for 2pm."

"Uh-huh."

"In case you hadn't noticed, my ever-oblivious brother, it's a quarter past."

"And?"

"Well-ahem-they're already fifteen minutes late."

"What are you getting at, Car-oh no, don't tell me you're actually upset over a few minutes!"

"All I'm saying is if they were falling behind schedule the polite thing to do would be to let us know. They have our numbers, our emails, our twitters, I think you even gave Jane your fax information..."

"Fifteen minutes is hardly a reason to call an amber alert, sis. They probably just got caught up saying goodbye to their family."

"Well, fifteen minutes may not seem like a lot to you, Bing, but my time is very valuable-"

"Hah, yeah, okay, sorry to have cut into your average Saturday agenda of avocado skin treatments and deep conditioning."

"My beauty is a work of art and like a fine painting it requires patience and care-"

"-and two hundred dollars every other weekend-"

"-and _attention_, so if I'm stuck hanging out in the netherfield entry way all afternoon waiting for our house guests to show up 'whenever'-"

"Sis, I love you but sometimes I need to remind you to get off your high throne, oh mighty queen of complaining. If anyone had a justifiable reason to voice concern to the whereabouts of our lovely house guests it would be Darcy."

"P-pardon?"

"Darcy, I know you put off an important video conference just so you could greet Jane and Lizzie. That's really decent of you, man, and I know it will make them feel so much more welcome."

"Oh yes, because nothing says we're happy you're here quite like the classic Darcy blank slate expression."

"Caroline..."

"Oh calm down, Bing. If you get any more anxious for Jane's arrival you might wet yourself."

"Caroline! What's gotten into you?"

Darcy had been listening to the sibling exchange from their spot on the netherfield front stoop with out much vigor, more preoccupied with watching the elongated drive to the estate for any sign of their guests arrival, his heart jumping anytime a car came down to the far cul de sac only to turn around back toward the neighborhood. The silence that followed Bing's slight exasperation, however, seized his attention from the road to glance beside him at the Lees. It had been an unspoke agreement that all three of them dress to impress, so as they were waiting for their guests to show Caroline's designer heel had been tapping and the normally ever-laidback Bing was constantly checking his hair in the reflection of front door's glass window. However, now the two sibling had stop their habits to glare at one another, Caroline hugging her arms to herself with a narrowness in her eyes that signified her intense annoyance. Bing, on the other hand, was frowning at her, though patiently so, and eventually the tension passed and she sighed, turning away.

"Nothing, nothing at all..."

"Well, alright. You know, if you ever want to talk about things that are bothering you sis you know you can always come to me." Caroline glanced back to her brother, her lips curling slightly and expression softening though they quickly fell back to their disdain as Bing continued. "I just hope that no matter what you won't take your frustration out on Jane. She's the kind of girl who's so compassionate that she will try to take on your burdens herself." Bing smiled to himself at the thought of Jane, so truly unaware how this statement affected Caroline's composure. She caught Darcy's eyes and with a small, tight motion he shook his head. This caused her to smile, happy to be understood by someone even if Bing remained ignorant.

"They're here!" Bing announced, causing their heads to snap back around toward the drive. Sure enough, a small and dull-gray car was approaching the garage and Bing in his eagerness stepped down to the path to greet them on the pavement. Darcy and Caroline remained behind; she was watching with contempt though Darcy felt ill with jittery nerves knowing Lizzie was about to emerge from the vehicle.

"I know you agree with me." Caroline's voice was smooth and sure.

"Hmm?"

"You agree that their tardiness was rude. It's written all over your face."

"Oh. Um, yes, very rude." Darcy honestly had not given it much thought, like Bing he too was excited for the arrival of a certain guest though he would never admit this to Caroline. They watched in silence as Bing helped Jane from the car with a kiss to her cheek and she fluttered her lashes and beamed. He then jogged around the front of the car to help Lizzie out though she had already begun to emerge without his assistance. Darcy felt a swoop in his stomach as he watched her face pop up from behind the car, a part of him wishing that he could hug her in greeting as easily as Bing did. The movements of her grace had him mesmorized, as if she were in slow motion as she casually shut the passenger side car door. As if she felt his gaze her eyes lifted, meeting his with a face falling in surprise and Darcy quickly jerked his head down to stare determindly at his polished italian shoes as of they were the most interesting thing in the world. He shifted his gaze after moment, looking toward the clouds and distance neighbor hood in an effort to remain aloof even though Lizzie's presence made him anything but.

The pleasant chatter of Bing, Jane and Lizzie was drawing nearer forcing Darcy to rip his gaze from the sky to greet their arrival. Bing was carrying three bags-a mismatch of vintage patterns and styles that Darcy knew must belong to Jane, along with a larger and simpler pull along with he suspected belong to Lizzie who was carrying two bags of own. Jane only carried her oversized purse and Darcy scowled at her for not offering to help Lizzie with her duffles.

"Caroline, Darcy, hello! It's so good to see you both." Jane's glowing cheerfulness already struck a wrong cord with Darcy as she hugged Caroline. "So sorry we're a few minutes late, Lydia was throwing a bit of a fit bit we think she's excited to see our cousin Mary later so that calmed her down."

"Oh Jane, no need to apologize, we're just excited you both are here, in our home." Caroline's voice was light and sweet like artificial sugar.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here," Lizzie was earnest as she readjusted the placement of one of her bag's shoulder straps. "There really was no room for us all at my cousins, I'm quite sure what our parents were thinking..."

"Do you, er, Lizzie do you need assistance with your things?" Darcy blurted out, watching how she was struggling and discomforted as she held all her bags. However, when she set her eye on him, he panicked and spoke again. "Because we have a house keeper who gets paid handsomely, on the hour. I'm sure they would be more than obliged to carry your bags up to your room."

"Oh, no, that's okay, really they're not that heavy."

Bing, who had went along inside to drop off his armful of luggage poked his head out the door and smiled at them all.

"Jane, I put your bags in our green guest room and Lizzie your roll-along is in the purple room just besides Jane's. Come on inside, we'll get you two settled in!" His eyes fell on Lizzie and he came out onto the stoop to approach her. "And I will take those up for you!" He reached out for her bags and she retreated slightly.

"It's okay, I can handle them." Bing chuckled.

"No one said you couldn't! But I insist." She smiled at his kindness and let him take her belongings off her shoulders. She rubbed one, her arm windmilling as she rolled her neck about.

"Well thanks!" Darcy felt cheated though he knew Bing was just acting as a benevolent host and nothing more. Sometimes he feared his friends easy and genuine charm made him appear lacking any in comparison though he quickly dismissed this thought from his mind. That had been George's ploy and Bing was a far greater man than his former best friend could ever wish to be, and Bing would never do anything intentionally to make Darcy feel lesser. And so, as they all filed into the house (he conviently waiting so as to be standing behind Lizzie's form) made a mental promise to himself that he would develop his own methods to woo her, a charm that was entirely his own.

_A/n: I recieved a challenge from reader Solyahu to write a chapter that was almost all dialogue to break up the usual format. Challenge accepted, how do you guys think I did just writting a conversation without descriptors or references to who said what in the first part of this chapter? Did you like it, were you confused, do you prefer when I describe how they are speaking, or do you not care? Tell me your input! Also if you ever have a challenge for me just write one in a review and ill consider basing a chapter on your request (it's great practice for me as a writer :) side note, this chapter was written from my phone because my freaking laptop charger overheated and died. Desperate times called for desperate measures but auto correct was being annoying so let me know u find any bizarre words in this update that don't belong. As always, remember to review, fav, follow, and share!_


	29. Implanting Implications

Darcy sat upon the edge of his bed, erect, listening to the occasional muffled cluck of shutting drawers and shuffle of feet from beyond the wall adjacent to his stance. Lizzie Bennet was beyond that wall, unpacking her bags for an elongated stay in the room next to his and Darcy had not yet processed how close she would actually be to him. He could imagine her movements, every thoughtful placement of her garments, every victorious sigh of a well-ordered bedroom—he believed she too would take pleasure in the organization of a dresser. Her neatly folded denim would line the bottom-most drawer, then slacks and skirts inside the next. Casual shirts and blouses that didn't need the hot-press of an iron above that, then finally her socks, hosiery and delicates. Darcy felt hot imagining such things and he nearly jumped from his skin as Caroline called out to him from the doorframe, his mind quickly reeling to replace the divine image of Lizzie in black lace from his inner most thoughts.

"Am I interrupting something?" Her voice was velvet with suspicion as she entered the room, taking Darcy's spot at the foot of his bed as he paced toward his bureau and yanked the door open so he could bury his expression in his collection of silk ties and men's scarves. He cleared his throat rather forcefully before responding.

"No. What is it, Caroline?" He snapped, pulling off his current necktie in favor of fashionable scarf hoping it would be less constricting on his nerves.

"Touchy touchy. I was just wondering how you were fairing with our new houseguests, is all. I'm sure all this ruckus is so bothersome with all the work you need to do." He could feel Caroline's eyes upon him, like a hawk readying to devour prey. "That is, unless you're happy to have the distraction…"

"Absolutely not." He kept his voice as flat as he could manage, still facing away though regarding himself in a full-length mirror upon the wall. Though he dared not glance directly to it, he could see Caroline's reflection leaned back upon her palms, watching him. "It is difficult enough to get through my schedule with out you popping in to heckle me and your brother insisting I take a break every hour of the day."

Caroline gasped in false offence. "Heckle you, Darcy? I wouldn't dare." She stood up right and made her way toward him, leaning with a smirk and closing the bureau's mahogany cabinet with her shoulder. "And here I thought you enjoyed our little chats."

"Not nearly as much as you do." This time he was prepared to shift his gaze to her, expression bland and disinterested. "You are so easily amused, after all." Her lips curled further, spreading across her face at his words.

"I find ways to keep myself entertained." She shrugged, her voice light as she turned away from him and glided back to his bed. She laid herself upon it gracefully, propping her chin up and resting on her elbow while the other arm draped over her form. Darcy's eyes lifted to the ceiling and he resigned to sit upon his desk chair rather than join her on his bed. He did, however, swivel it around to face her knowing she wouldn't leave if he continued to ignore her. "Things should be much more entertaining around here now that Lizzie and Jane have arrived."

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu, Caroline. Does this conversation have a point?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance at the bitterness of his voice, glaring toward his deep-set eyes that stared back at hers with impatience.

"I'm just trying to gage how you're feeling now that they're actually moving in, William. I'm here as a concerned friend. I know how distrustful you are of strangers-have you already taken inventory of your cufflinks and other valuables?" Darcy opened his mouth to retort but the no sound escaped his lips. What was she insinuating? He found his voice at the absurdity of it.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous to be cautious, Darcy. You know why they're remodeling their home, don't you? The Bennets are hurting when it comes to financials. They're planning to sell their barn of a house once they fix it up to an adequate living standard. They are desperate people, Darcy, and sometimes desperation leads good, wholesome people like the Bennets to do wicked things."

"You can't be implying—"

"Think about it Darcy. Three grown women living at home with their parents…don't you think that's a little odd? And Jane, the poor sweet dear is an open book. She confessed to me that she's had to default on her student loans twice already since she graduated. Yet why are the Bennet's always in such bright spirits? Because my brother—your best friend-bought up the mansion at the end of the street and continues to wine and dine the eldest daughter. He lavishes her with gifts, and attention, offers her a place in his home…" Caroline continued her speculations though Darcy had become numb, her voice blowing past his recognition like an icy wind.

Of course, how had he not made the connection before? Jane was after Bing's fortune as Wickham had wormed his vileness into Gigi's heart for the very same reason. Both were masters of charm and manipulation, convincing the others to house and care for them, to love them while they relished in the splendor of their spoils. The very thought made his stomach twist with rage and disgust, his hands clasped so tightly on the rest of his chair that his knuckles began to whiten and his whole face paled. How could he have let this happen, and right before his very eyes? With Gigi it had been a secret, a terrible discovery ending in heartbreak and pain for his beloved sister. With Bing, however, he had watched his friend's desire and adoration develop over time, like watching livestock be raised for the slaughter. The sentiment made him ill and abruptly he rose from his chair, bolting from the room while muttering a need for fresh air.

As he charged from the bedroom his chest collided forcefully into another body.

"Ooof!" Lizzie Bennet exclaimed as bottles of shampoo tumbled from her grasp and onto the hardwood of the upstairs hall.

"Pardon." Darcy barked, stepping around her and quickly descending down the nearby spiral stairs. He internally cursed himself for not stopping to help her collect her things but the heat of his anger boiled so intensely inside him that Darcy feared he would only wrongly project his hatred onto Lizzie.

As he yanked the front door open and strode into the summer afternoon heat Darcy began to slow his steps as he walked down the long drive. Lizzie, were you too a player in this convoluted scheme for Bing's inheritance? The thought filled him with an empty sorrow but as he dwelled on her involvement in Bing and Jane's relationship he couldn't help but justify that she couldn't possibly be advocating for the Lee fortune. She never seemed to harp on material things and even seemed discomforted by how lavish Netherfield was decorated rather than envious like her wide-eyed sisters. Surely, she wouldn't stand behind such a cruel ploy even if her family's debt was sizable? In his mind, her voice echoed.

_...straightforward and honest….strong moral values…._

Although she had been talking of potential employers, what Lizzie regarded highly spoke leagues of her characters. He felt confident that she couldn't possibly support using Bing for his money just as she wouldn't have let Lydia get away without confessing the fate of the lamp had she been aware. He was sure of it. At this conclusion his breathing steadied a bit but he couldn't force himself to walk back toward Netherfield which was just a speck in the distance behind him now. How could he possibly coexist under the same roof with Jane, knowing what he did? He closed his eyes and let a breath out through his nostrils. Bing always sought out the best in people, but would he really be so willingly blind to a scheme for his wealth? In his memory, Jane had her moments which caused disdain in Darcy though more often then not she did exhibit a sense of kindness. Perhaps Caroline was just attempting to plant a seed of doubt within Darcy, to toy with him so they could rally together against the Bennets in secret. That seemed more like her character than Jane's from what he had witnessed, though even Caroline could not understand how an accusation of such extremes would affect Darcy—she knew little of Wickham if anything, for Darcy kept his own secrets rather guarded and Wickham was the shame and regret held closest to his heart.

Darcy had turned back toward netherfield as he chewed over different conclusions and ways to approach the situation at hand. He decided he was a man of logic and wouldn't jump to conclusions about Jane despite how she occasionally rubbed him the wrong way. Instead he would observe with even more diligence now that they were under the same roof to see if she truly did care for Bing before a sense of action was needed on his part. If necessary, he might be able to spare Bing the intense suffering Gigi experienced by stepping in. However, despite his doubts, deep within William's heart he desperately hoped that it would not come to this. He knew these next two weeks would reveal a lot to Darcy about the Bennet sisters and although he was eager to learn more about Lizzie he knew he had a sense of duty toward his friend to keep an eye on Jane as well.

_A/N: Okay so I know you all are itching for some Darcy/Lizzie interaction but I felt this conversation between him and Caroline was important toward the plot and relationships concerning the Bennet's financial state and Darcy's past with having someone after his money and the people he cares about. Thank you all for your input on my experiment with last chapter's dialogue-based chapter, it was definitely helpful to see what people liked and disliked. Feedback is always appreciated and taken into account when writing these updates :) _


	30. -

Dear readers: I know that this isn't what you want to see, but this week I unfortantely unable to update. All I that im comfortable sharing is that life got in the way. I apologize you all have been so understanding with this story especially after last weeks file mishap. I appreciate all the kind words of support I've received so far from you all and I know I am not holding up on my end by keeping with deadlines as promised. I will keep trying to do better and thank you all for challenging me every week to keep up with this story no matter what! You all keep me inspired.

-Andrea


	31. Chapter 31

Dear readers,

Again, this week no update...last week there was a death in my family, a loss that wasn't unexpected for us yet still deeply saddening. Because you have all been such loyal fans throughout the journey of my story I felt as if I should explain whats going on even though that part of my life is very personal. In a strange sense writing does sooth me, especially fun interactions and dynamics of these characters and I plan to continue posting starting next monday (the 15th) so be sure to check back then. However, right now, my focus needs to be with my family.

Thank you all for the continued support,

Andrea


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